Time Of Our Lives
by TStabler
Summary: Olivia and her mother are taking their summer vacation at the same resort they'd been visiting for years. This year, though, things are going to get interesting, when Serena signs Olivia up for ballroom dancing lessons.She falls for her instructor.E/O
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This fic was requested by LawOrderFan01. I'm attempting it. Lemme know what you think, because it's going to be a long AU fic. Set during the summer before Elliot joins the police academy, before Olivia's senior year in high school. (they're a few years apart in this one. lol If you can't figure out what she requested, I tell you in my end-note.) **

"This is gonna blow," Olivia said, popping a gum-bubble from the passenger seat of her mother's blue car.

"Olivia!" Serena yelled. "You will watch your language. You will not embarrass me at the club this summer, do you understand?"

Olivia scoffed. "You're worried about me embarrassing you? Nice one," she said, under her breath.

Serena looked over and barked, "Do you understand?"

"Yeah. I got it," Olivia said, smirking. "I will be a perfect angel."

"That'll be a first," Serena spat, taking a swig from a silver flask.

Olivia chuckled. "Hasn't anyone told you that you shouldn't drink and drive?"

"You shouldn't have your rapist's baby either, but I did that," Serena said with a laugh. She pulled into the parking space, closed her flask, and looked at Olivia. "Remember. As of right now..."

"We're happy, I know. Happy little family, so you can meet my new daddy," Olivia said, rolling her eyes and getting out of the car. "At least you let me bring a friend this year."

Alex Cabot got out of the backseat, feeling like she'd been ignored most of the ride up to the Catskill resort, and yawned. "Man, you and your mother fight like...no...you fight worse than cats and dogs. How the hell are you going to convince people you get along?"

"By staying far the fuck away from each other," Olivia said. "Come on. Let's go see what boring-ass activities my mother signed us up for. Last year I played Polo until my arm went numb and I smelled like horses for a month."

Olivia and Alex walked off, leaving Serena to flirt, relentlessly, with the young man helping her with her luggage. They pushed through the doors of the recreation center and strolled up to the counter. "Hi," Olivia said. "Checking in? Benson? Olivia Benson," she told the receptionist. The redhead, speaking into a phone at the same time, thumbed through a stack of files, found Olivia's and handed it to her with a smile and a nod. Olivia opened it and gasped. "Mother of God, ballroom dancing? Jesus Christ!"

"That sounds like fun," Alex said. "I like dancing."

"No, I'm dancing. You have to take golf lessons with some guy named Berkowitz," Olivia said, hitting her in the arm. "Ballroom dancing? My mother was obviously drunk when she did this. Instructor's probably either some old woman with blue hair, or some fat, bald, man who's gonna hit on me every five minutes."

"Wait," Alex said, taking the file. "Your mom signed us up for different activities?"

"Yeah, every day from four to six," Olivia said. They were startled by a shout from the dining hall, and turned their heads. "What the hell?" Olivia asked, stepping back to take a peek. Her eyes widened when she saw what was going on.

"You are skating on thin ice, here, Stabler," a fat, bald man yelled.

A very young, very hot man shouted back, "You don't pay me to skate, Sellerman, you pay me to dance. And I'm not dancing to this old shit!" He threw sheet music at the old man and said, "I pick the music, I pick the dances, or you can kiss my..."

The fat man boomed, "You wanna keep this job, Elliot?"

The young man sighed. Then nodded. "Whatever," he whispered, then bolted toward the door, almost knocking over Olivia. "Sorry," he spat, not even looking over his shoulder. He took a breath. Her scent had wafted toward him and he stopped and looked at her, really looked at her, and smiled. "Actually, I'm not sorry. Not at all." He winked at her and walked out of the rec hall.

"Uh, there's your dance instructor, Benson. He's not an old woman with blue hair," Alex said, stunned.

"He's not fat and bald either," Olivia said, "But I hope to God he hits on me every five minutes."

"Olivia!" a familiar voice yelled from behind her.

Both girls turned around and Olivia smiled. "Hey, Brian," she said, giving the guy a hug. "Brian, this is my friend Alex Cabot. Al, this is Brian Cassidy. Everyone around here calls him 'Buddy.' I've know him for years."

"Baby-Girl's been coming up here every summer since she was, what, seven?" Brian asked. "Oh, hey! Fin's the security guy at The Grove now!"

"Wow," Olivia said, her eyes widening. "He's the last person..."

"Fin?" Alex asked, interrupting. "Who's Fin?"

Olivia chuckled. "Oh, um, he's the one who gave me the nickname they all use around here. Because I was the only girl they let hang around, and I was always so young. I wasn't much for parties and dances, or making friends with other girls, so I played pool, poker, and stuff with the guys."

"But you're dancing this summer, huh?" Alex asked, nudging Olivia.

Brian looked at her quizzically. "Ballroom dancing? With Elliot?"

Olivia nodded and rolled her eyes. "Is that his name? What's the story with the dance guy? He seems very...tense. Hot, but tense."

"Elliot's a hot-head. A very good dancer, and yes he's hot. All the ladies love him so they all pay through the nose to take his classes, but he's got a wicked temper," Brain "Buddy" Cassidy said. "Good luck with him, Baby-Girl. Oh, since your morphing into an actual girl this summer, there's a party at The Grove tonight. You two should come! Fin will find a way to let you in, Baby-Girl."

Alex smiled. "Thank God! Actual fun!"

"No, Alex, Grove parties are not fun," Olivia said, rolling her eyes. "Unless you're..."

"Either on drugs or sex-crazed," Buddy said, finishing. "But uh, Elliot's gonna be there," he said, wagging his eyebrows.

Olivia smacked him. Then looked at him. Then said, "Fine. We'll go."

Alex and Olivia walked back to the cabin they were sharing with Serena, and they weren't surprised to see her drinking and giggling with the luggage guy. Olivia rolled her eyes and pulled Alex into the bedroom to get ready. "All the money we have and she drinks like a camel and acts a like a cheap hooker," Olivia said, shaking her head. "I'm surprised she raised a perfect little lady. At least, as far as everyone here at the fabulous Sellerman's Catskill Resort is concerned!" she yelled with a laugh.

Alex chuckled. She raised an eyebrow and in feigned-slurred speech she said, "She's tryin' to find you a rich dad, and forget about your real one. An' you're goin' to be the perfect daughter so's she can."

The girls gabbed and joked as they got dressed, in actual dresses, and left the cabin, heading up to The Grove. Buddy met them on the hill and, out of breath, he threw the twenty-four pack of beer he'd been carrying into Olivia's arms. She caught it with a grunt and a harsh glare.

"Nice catch, Baby-Girl," he said, laughing.

"I'm technically not allowed to hold this, Buddy," Olivia said, raising an eyebrow.

Buddy chuckled. "Shut up and carry it. It's the only way Fin can get you into The Grove without causing any problems."

They walked into to the resort's night club, Olivia greeted Fin with a big hug, and Olivia and Alex looked around at the erotic dancing going on. They, then, noticed the lack of clothing on the people doing the dancing. "I don't think we're old enough to be in here, Benson," Alex said, grabbing Olivia's arm.

"Why do you think Buddy made me carry the beer?" Olivia asked, nodding. She put the box on the bar and suddenly, her attention was drawn to the center of the dance floor. She went white and her pulse raced as she watched him move. He made her want to be the girl he was dancing with, but he also terrified her at the same time.

"Holy shit," Alex said, looking at what had made Olivia speechless. "Would you look at him move, Benson? Who's that blonde he's with?"

Buddy had heard her and said, "That's Kathy, his dance partner. She works with the guys who take the classes here at the resort."

"Are they, like, a thing?" Olivia asked, noticing the way they were grinding into each other. It made her sick. Not sick. Jealous. If they were naked they'd almost be having sex, right there on the dance floor.

"Elliot and Kathy? No way," Buddy said, laughing. "She's not his type, at all. Not for lack of trying though. She keeps trying. He keeps turning her down."

"They certainly do look friendly, though," Olivia spat.

"They're just dancing, Baby-Girl," Buddy said, shrugging.

Olivia raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "Is that what you kids are calling it these days?"

"Same old Olivia," Buddy said, chuckling. He caught Elliot's eye when the song finished and waved him over.

Elliot immediately unwrapped Kathy from his waist, pushed her away, roughly, and walked toward Olivia, Alex and Buddy.

Olivia's eyes widened when she noticed him walking through the crowd toward her. "Why did you do that, Cassidy?" she yelled, trying to find a way to run, or hide.

Buddy huffed, "Because, I wanna introduce you to him. I kind of told him about you. I mean, he's twenty-one, but he's very..."

"What?" Olivia yelled. "What did you say to him?"

Buddy's eyes grew wide and he raised his hands defensively. "Only good things, Baby-Girl, I swear!"

Elliot strode up to them, grabbed a beer out of the box, popped it open and slapped Brian on the back as he took the first, foamy sip. "Buddy, man, what's up?"

"Elliot, this is the girl I was telling you about," Buddy said, returning the smack to Elliot's shoulder.

"You're Olivia Benson?" Elliot asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling. "Baby-Girl?"

Olivia couldn't speak. He had the most beautiful blue eyes. She just nodded, and swallowed. "I carried the beer," she finally said. Then she squeezed her eyes shut. That was the stupidest thing she could have said. She turned and looked at Alex, mortified. "I carried the beer?"

Alex shrugged.

Elliot laughed, raised the can to her in a mock-toast, and said, "Thanks for that, Baby-Girl." He chugged back half the beer and slammed it down on the table. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow again. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," she said. "But I guarantee I'm more mature than half the dolts in this room. Especially this one." She slapped Buddy upside the head and glared at him.

Elliot chuckled. "I'm sure you are," he said. He looked around, looked at Kathy who was standing, arms folded, right where he left her, and he smirked. He turned back to Olivia, crooked his finger at her, and said, "Come dance with me, Baby-Girl."

Olivia's eyes widened. She went completely numb. She didn't even feel Alex push her forward, and she was even more oblivious to her feet, moving on their own, following Elliot onto the dance floor.

**A/N: Yes, LawOrderFan01 asked for a Dirty Dancing-Esque fic, and I'm trying to work it out. Lemme know what you think so far. I promise, I have ideas on how to make it good. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Gonna try to follow as much of the movieline as I can, as long as it doesn't conflict with the characters and show plotlines I've established. I love this frikken movie.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story. Dirty Dancing was written by Eleanor Bergstein, and some of her original lines have been used and altered. **

"I'm warning you," Olivia said, suddenly realizing she was on the dance floor, with the best dancer at the resort, "I don't dance. I hate dancing. The only time I dance is when I have to pee, and even then it looks like I'm having a seizure, because I really sort of am." She always talked too much when she was nervous.

Elliot laughed and wrapped an arm around her. "That's why I'm here, Baby-Girl," he said. "Bend your knees," he told her. "No, bend them, not kick me."

"Sorry," she muttered.

"Good," he said. "Now roll your hips, like this." He rolled his hips, right into hers, and she suddenly didn't feel like dancing. At least, not standing up. She rolled her hips into his and his eyes widened. "Good girl. Go the other way," he commanded. "You go that way, I'm gonna go this way, and don't look down. Just watch my eyes." He looked into her eyes, she looked into his, and they rolled and moved into each other. His other arm wound itself around her, and he scooped her arms up, wrapping them around his neck. "Good," he whispered. "Very good, Baby." He swallowed, a bit on the hard side. "Girl," he added, still looking into her eyes, rolling into her hips.

"She's a fast learner," Buddy quipped, smirking, nudging Alex in the side as they watched.

Alex rolled her eyes and shook her head. "He's probably just a good teacher."

"Yeah, well," Buddy said, "I bet he's gonna teach her a lot more than just the Fox-Trot this summer."

"What the hell does that mean?" Alex asked, raising her eyes.

Buddy laughed, grabbed a beer and said, "Look at them!"

Alex looked at Olivia and Elliot, seeming lost in each other's body and eyes, and she smirked. Maybe Olivia was gonna learn something besides dancing from Elliot. "Hey," she said to Buddy. "Is the golf instructor that hot?"

Buddy laughed as he took a swig of his beer. "No way. He's fat. And bald. And he'll hit on you every five minutes."

"Of course," Alex said, shaking her head.

Kathy stormed over then, grabbed a beer and growled at Buddy. "Who the hell is she, Buddy?"

"A guest," Buddy said, smirking. "She's gonna take dancing lessons."

"Seems like she already is," Kathy spat. "Have you seen Dean?"

"At the front desk, doing his job," Buddy said, rolling his eyes. Kathy stormed off and scoffed at Alex on her way.

Alex looked at Buddy. "What's her deal?"

"Incredibly jealous of any other woman that Elliot touches, yet has been sleeping with Dean all summer. Go figure," Buddy said with a shrug, chugging the rest of his beer. "Hey, do you wanna dance?"

"Like that?" Alex said, pointing to the virtual orgy on the dance floor. She saw Brian nod. "Uh, okay," she said, taking his hand.

* * *

Olivia and Alex rolled back into their cabin at three in the morning, sneaking into their bedroom, breezing passed Serena and the luggage guy, who were both passed out on the pull out bed in the living room. "I hope to God he is not gonna be my new daddy," Olivia whispered, opening the bedroom door.

"You looked like you were having fun with dance man," Alex teased as she took off her dress.

Olivia smirked. "His name is Elliot. And I was such a nervous wreck I think I forgot to have fun. You, however, looked like you were enjoying being all over Buddy."

"Uh, that's how these people dance, Benson. Or should I call you Baby-Girl so I fit it around here?" she said, teasing again.

The girls got into their pajamas, crawled into their bed, and just as they got comfortable and their heads hit the pillows, they both burst into a fit of giggles.

"I have never wanted to jump anyone so badly in my life," Olivia admitted.

Alex nodded. "I don't even know Buddy and I wanted to kiss him," she said. "It's that dancing, Benson. It's so…"

"Dirty," Olivia said, shaking her head. "Goodnight, Al."

"Goodnight," Alex said, "Baby-Girl."

"Shut the fuck up," Olivia spat, hitting her with a pillow. They were asleep in seconds.

Serena woke the girls at eight o'clock the next morning, taking them down to the dining hall for breakfast. They were all elegantly dressed, proving that they did, in fact, come from money. Olivia yawned, politely, into her hand. Alex's head dropped, inelegantly, onto Olivia's shoulder, and Olivia jerked her shoulder to wake her up.

"You two will cut that out, now. We are having breakfast with the owner, his wife, his nephew and several other guests. They're providing entertainment. You will be awake and attentive and polite," Serena scolded.

"Yes, Mother," Olivia said, with a plastered on smile.

Mister Sellerman, his wife and his nephew walked in and sat at the table with Olivia, Alex and Serena. They all shook hands.

"Hi, uh, I'm Dean," the nephew said, holding his hand out to Olivia.

"Olivia," she replied, shaking his hand.

Dean smirked. "You must have lots of boyfriends." He took a bite of his breakfast and stared at her, still holding her hand

"I'm a lesbian," she said. She laughed when he choked on his bagel. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" she said, patting him on the back. "So, you're Mr. Sellerman's nephew?"

"Yep," Dean said, smiling smugly. "Also, I'm the general manager."

Olivia tilted her head. "That means, what, you, kind of, own the place?"

"Yeah," Dean said. "And everyone in it."

Olivia's eyes narrowed, and as the juice and coffee were being poured, an announcer stepped out into the middle of the floor.

"Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the fabulous Sellerman Resort. For your entertainment, while you're noshing on our fantastic breakfast fare, I give you our own dancing duo, Elliot Stabler and Kathy Malone."

Olivia spat out her orange juice and choked, violently.

Serena glared at her, viciously, as Alex pattered her back and hid a chuckle. Dean wiped up the spilled juice and the music started. Olivia turned a very unflattering shade of pink as she watched Elliot and Kathy dance out onto the floor. They were great together, there was no denying it. Olivia's eyes never left his body. She watched as he glided across the floor, twirling Kathy, and he dipped her, pulled her up and posed as the music stopped.

Everyone applauded, then watched as Kathy suddenly bolted out of the room. Elliot rose to his feet, looked around, caught Olivia's eyes and gave her the barest of smiles, then ran out after Kathy. Olivia, unsure of why, needed to find out what was wrong. She was sure something was wrong.

"Excuse me," Olivia said, politely. "I have to use the ladies room."

She walked down the hall, and stopped when she saw Elliot, cradling Kathy in his arms as she heaved into a nearby trash can, and Buddy.

"Kathy," Elliot said, holding her hair back. "What are you gonna do about this?"

Kathy shook her head. "Nothing," she said, clutching the pail.

"Excuse me," Olivia said, "Is she okay."

Buddy, never one for tact, shook his head. "She's pregnant, Baby-Girl."

"Buddy!" Elliot yelled.

"Great," Kathy yelled from inside the can. "Now she's gonna tell all her little trust-fund friends, and her little security guard buddy, and we'll all get fired!"

"She won't," Elliot said. He looked back at Olivia and saw the look in her eyes. "What, you think it's mine?"

Olivia's eyes widened. "I didn't say…"

"Do you think it's mine?" he yelled. Kathy pulled herself up from the garbage can, wondering why they were having this fight.

"No," Olivia said, furrowing her brow. "Why? Do you?"

Elliot was taken aback. He didn't know why he felt defensive all of a sudden. "No," he said. "Kathy and I…we aren't…"

"You don't have to explain yourself to her, Elliot. She's one of them, in case you haven't noticed." Kathy turned to face Olivia. "Baby-Girl? That's what they call you?"

Olivia nodded.

"Well, Baby-Girl, you can go back and tell everyone that Kathy got knocked up by Dean the dickhead!" She turned, suddenly, and hurled into the trashcan.

"Dean?" Oliva asked. "Sellerman?"

Elliot nodded. "Yeah," he said.

Olivia smiled. "The rich bastard. Well, I'm sure if you told him he would…"

"He knows," Buddy said, shaking his head. "He doesn't care. Said it's her own fault for being careless."

"And," Elliot said. "Moral, Catholic Kathy is keeping it. As of Monday, she can't dance, which sucks because I've got gigs lined up from here to New York City. Where the hell am I gonna find a partner by next week?"

"I'm sure it'll work itself out," Olivia said, shrugging. "Can someone else fill in?"

Kathy scoffed. "No, Little Miss Fix It! Julie has to fill in for me here at the resort as it is, and…why?" Kathy asked, lifting her head out of the trash can. "Do you wanna do it?" she asked laughing.

Everyone was silent. Buddy looked at Elliot.

"She can move," Buddy said with a shrug.

"It was a fucking joke, Buddy. A bad one," Kathy yelled.

"It's not a bad idea," Elliot said, rubbing his chin.

Kathy turned and yelled at Elliot. "It's the dumbest idea I've ever heard!"

Olivia coughed. "Yeah, I can't even do the Tango without falling on my face."

"See?" Kathy asked, chuckling.

Buddy looked at Elliot. "You're a strong partner. You can lead anybody!"

"You heard her," Kathy yelled. "She can't even do the Tango! She can't do it! Cannot do it!"

Elliot looked at Olivia, then at Buddy. "She's taking classes, right? I can have her ready…Baby-Girl, do you think you could…I mean…" he stopped speaking and threw his arms up in defeat. "Probably not, you don't even know me. Why the hell would you do me a favor?"

Olivia took a step forward and said, "Maybe, I…"

"Oh, fuck you," Kathy interrupted. "You pretty, rich bitches make me sick. Go back to your perfect life, and go suck on a bottle or something, Baby-Girl," she spat.

"My life's not perfect," Olivia said, almost a whisper. "I was just trying to help."

"We don't need your help," Kathy said, harshly.

Elliot looked at Kathy. "She's trying to be nice. Can you offer her the same thing? Please?"

"Oh, just because you've got a fucking hard-on for the little girl?" Kathy chuckled.

"Nice, Kathy," Elliot said, running a hand down his face. "Are you feeling better now? You puked four times, you made a nice person feel like shit, and it's not even ten in the morning."

Kathy smiled. "I do feel better, yeah."

Olivia looked at Buddy, shook her head, and walked away.

"Bye-bye, Baby-Girl," Kathy said, in a teasing manner.

Elliot watched her leave, sadly, and Buddy walked away after her.

* * *

Olivia was waiting in the dance studio, sitting on the bar, swinging her legs. When the door opened, and she saw him, she held a hand up. "Before you even say it, I already tried to get out of this. There was only one thing with open spots, and I am not spending another summer smelling like Mr. Ed. I promise, you can, like, leave me here alone for two hours. I just, don't have anywhere else to go."

"Are you finished?" Elliot asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because all I was going to say was, 'hello."

"Oh," Olivia said, averting her eyes.

"I'm sorry about this morning," he said. "I didn't mean to yell. I just, uh, I saw this look in your eyes, and I thought that you thought…" he paused and took a breath. "Not that I have to defend myself to you, because I don't, I just wanted you to know that it's not my kid. Kathy and I have never…will never…that's a ship that is never gonna sail." He looked at her, ran a hand through his hair and said, "And the way she treated you, I mean, she's a botch, usually, but she was absolutely horrible. I'm sorry. Really, if you don't wanna do this, I can just teach you the standard shit and..."

"Ellliot!" Olivia looked at him and smirked. "Are you gonna teach me how to dance, now?"

"Oh, uh," he stuttered, "Yeah. You need to get down from there, though." He lifted her off of the bar and set her on the floor.

"Strong," she mumbled.

"Light," he countered. He moved over to the record player and put on a Spanish sounding song. "Come here," he said, pulling her toward him. He showed her a basic step, as they both faced the mirror, and once he was sure she had it down he said, "And now we try it together." He faced her and explained. "This dance is tricky. You don't step on the one; you have to wait until the two. You have to count in your head, and don't dance until the two. I'm gonna step backward with my right foot, and you move forward with your left, on the two." He held her left hand in his right, and put his left hand around her waist. "No," he said as she stepped on his foot. "That was one."

"Sorry, sorry," Olivia said.

Elliot chuckled. "Relax, relax. Find the two."

"I've never done this before," Olivia said, rolling her eyes. "Am I counting fast, like, onetwothreefour? Or is it seconds, is it one-Mississippi? What?"

Elliot laughed. "Wow, uh, beats. Listen to the music. Hear the drums?"

"Yeah," Olivia said.

"One, two, three, four." He counted. "Like a heartbeat. Um, here," he said, taking the hand that was linked with his and placing it on his chest. He tapped his hand over hers, to the beat of the music, and waited until she did the same. "Close your eyes," he said. "Feel the beat, feel the music. One, two, three, four," he said, still tapping his hand, over hers, which was tapping lightly on his chest. He smiled, broadly, and took a hold of her hand, moving it back to position. "Open your eyes, Baby-Girl," he whispered.

Olivia opened her eyes, locking them on his. "I'm dancing," she said. "I'm really fucking dancing."

"Yeah," Elliot said, laughing. "You're really fucking dancing. Just, uh, don't put your heels down. Stay on your toes. And what's with the wobbly, spaghetti arms? Lock your frame!" He raised her arm and pointed. "See? Better!" He felt her lock her arms and smiled, but he saw her put her heels down again and rolled his eyes. "Don't put your heel down! Up! On your toes!" He straightened her out and fixed her posture. "Who the hell taught you how to walk? The elephant man?"

"Sorry," she mumbled, trying to stay straight, but she bent over and her arms fell again.

"Damn," Elliot spat. "Frame. Tighten your frame. Keep your arms stiff. This is my dance space, okay? That's yours. I don't go into yours and you don't come into mine, got it?" He finally had her locked, but noticed that she was looking down. "Baby-Girl, don't look down. Look up. Eyes. Look into my eyes. Why do you do that?"

"Do what?" Olivia asked, glancing down again,

"You keep looking away, but I need you to look at me," Elliot said, almost pleading, as they danced, almost perfectly.

Olivia, dancing on her toes now, jerked her head to the side. "I spend a lot of time looking down, trying to be invisible."

"Why the hell would someone, as beautiful as you, ever want to be invisible, Baby-Girl?" Elliot asked, pulling her closer now that she had the feel of the dance.

Olivia's eyes widened and she stopped dancing. "I'm not…"

"You're not what?" he asked. "Why'd you stop?"

"No one's ever called me that before," Olivia said, dropping his hand and pulling away from him.

Elliot furrowed his brow. "Spaghetti-arms?"

Olivia shook her head. "Beautiful."

"Oh, that's a little hard to believe, baby-Girl," Elliot said, taking a step toward her. He saw the tears in her eyes and stopped. "Maybe I do believe it. Your mother never…"

"My mother?" Olivia said with a scoff. "Mommy dearest calls me names all the time. Beautiful is never one of them." She wiped her eyes and sniffed and shook her head and looked up. "Okay, so, you've got a week, right? Let's do something else. I need to Mambo, don't I?"

"Baby-Girl," Elliot said, stepping closer to her. "We could just…" he paused, brushing his thumb under her eye, wiping away a tear she'd missed. He looked into her eyes and saw something in them, something he'd never seen in anyone's before, except when he looked at his own reflection. He understood what she'd gone through without her telling him. He smiled at her and when she smiled back he said, simply, "Let's dance."

**A/N: Who's ready to watch them practice lifts in the water? Along with a first kiss, and a first...time...of their lives! I'm so excited to write that!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Lifts. Kisses. Trouble. It's got it all. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story. Dirty Dancing was written by Eleanor Bergstein, and some of her original lines have been used and altered.**

"Yeah," Olivia said, listening to Dean drone on about the management business. "That's so interesting. You know what else is really interesting? I have this really amazing blister on my toe…"

"Olivia," Serena said, narrowing her eyes at her daughter.

Olivia smirked, then looked at Alex. "How are your golf lessons going?"

"I have a great swing, but I'd really like to drive my nine iron into the instructor's ass," Alex said, buttering a roll.

Olivia laughed, then she looked at Dean. "I've been taking dancing lessons."

"Oh?" Dean said, suddenly nervous. "How, uh, how are they going, Baby-Girl?"

"Great," Olivia said. "Elliot's a great teacher. It's too bad about his partner, Kathy. She's an amazing dancer."

Dean paled. "Bad? Uh, what, uh, what's bad?"

"You know, Dean," Olivia said, her voice low. She played with her salad, pushing it around on her plate, oblivious to the dancers taking to the stage. "And you need to do the right thing."

"Who are you to tell me what's right?" Dean spat, his eyes suddenly wide.

"You can't just leave her all alone like that," Olivia said, stabbing a tomato with her fork, still not noticing the Tangoing couple.

Dean sighed. "Look, I didn't spend a summer sucking up to my uncle to get this job just to throw it all away on some chick who's probably slept with every guy here, including that one," he said, jabbing his fork in Elliot's direction.

Olivia choked on her lettuce as she saw him. Their eyes met and she gulped down her full glass of water. He couldn't stop looking at her, breaking the number one rule of dance. Kathy was getting quite pissed.

Dean continued. "If she's smart, she'll blame him. Those two worthless lowlives belong together. She comes from a middle-class family with an alcoholic mother, and he's a Marine going nowhere with his life. Face it, Baby-Girl," he said, chewing on his pasta. "Some people matter and some people don't. There's us and there's them. It's a fact of life." He put his fork down and folded his hands over Olivia's. "Kathy and I, we'd never work, because she's one of them. You and I, though, we're the same, Baby-Girl. We're…us." He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it, smiling at her.

Olivia shook her head in disbelief as she rose out of her seat. "Maybe I don't want to be one of us anymore," she said, throwing her napkin onto her seat. She stormed out of the dining room, leaving her table to wonder what the hell had just happened.

As soon as the song ended, Elliot ran off stage, hustled back out through the employee entrance and tried to find her. He'd seen her run out. He looked all up and down the hall, then walked outside, still in his dance clothes, and sighed in relief. He found her by the lake, leering out over the log-rail. He walked over and, without saying anything, moved next to her.

"I don't really feel like dancing, right now," Olivia said, not looking at him.

Elliot scoffed. "Funny. Neither do I."

"Then why the hell are you here?" she asked, still looking at the water.

Elliot shrugged. "Saw you run out on your dinner. Figured you'd wanna talk about it."

"You figured wrong," she muttered.

Oh," Elliot said, thinking he understood. "You don't wanna talk about it? Or you just don't wanna talk about it with me?" he asked, mildly offended.

Olivia smirked, scoffed, and shook her head. "Don't. Don't do that. Don't you dare do that."

"Don't do what?" Elliot asked, his brow furrowed.

"I'm not like them, Elliot. The dresses, the shoes, the jewelry, it's all a fucking joke. I have money, whoop-de-freakin-do! It doesn't mean I have a perfect life, or a perfect family, and it sure as fuck doesn't mean I think I'm better than you okay? In fact, if anything, I think you're a hell of a lot better than me," she spat, turning from him back to the water.

"Okay," Elliot said, anger in his voice, "First, I never said that's what you were thinking. Second, how the fuck am I better than you? You're the one who's helping out a complete stranger. You don't even know me and in four days your taking a trip to New York City with me, to dance in front of a thousand fucking people! Who the fuck does that?"

Olivia just shook her head and started to walk away, but Elliot grabbed her arm, causing Olivia to yelp in pain.

"Oh, God, I didn't…I didn't mean to…hold on," he said, taking a good look at her arm. He rolled it over, to see why she had yelped, gripping it tightly despite her efforts to rip her arm away from him. A fresh bruise was forming on the underside of her forearm. Elliot gasped as he said, "This wasn't here yesterday. Where'd you get this?"

Before she could answer, Serena stumbled out of the front entrance and called to her. "Olivia, you get back in there, and you apologize to Dean, and everyone else, for leaving the way you did."

Olivia chuckled as she watched her mother take another step, and almost fall. "Drunken loon," she mumbled. "Okay, Mother," she called back. "I'm just, um, practicing with Elliot."

Serena looked at Elliot suspiciously and nodded before tripping over her own two feet on the way back into the dining hall. Olivia looked up at Elliot, rolled her eyes, and followed her mother. Elliot, stunned, figured out the answer to his question all by himself.

* * *

"You're doing good, Baby-Girl," Elliot said, as they Mamboed. "You don't even need to count out-loud anymore. But, uh, this is kind of a sensual dance. You have to move your hips. Move your body, like you're trying to seduce me."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "You want me to punch you, don't you?"

Elliot laughed. "No, I just want you dance like you mean it."

Olivia rolled her eyes and started to move with the music. She was thankful he hadn't mentioned the bruise on her arm, or her mother, but being this close to him, moving this way with him, was making her feel things she'd never felt before. It didn't help that she was forced to look into his eyes. He had mesmerizing eyes, and she was seeing things in them that she wasn't supposed to see. "Better?" she asked, with a seductive sway of her hips.

"Much," Elliot said, clearing his throat. "Okay, back, back, step. Turn, lift, you'll learn that later, and down." He dipped her and she lost her balance, but not her grip on him. She slid, and pulled, sending them both crashing down. "Jesus, are you trying to kill me?" he shouted as his head came an inch away from hitting the floor.

Olivia got to her feet, and snapped. "I'm sorry! Okay? God, I told you I'm not a good dancer! I'm not even a good walker! And what's worse is your first outside gig is in three days, and I've got no fucking clue what the hell I'm doing! I'm not sure of when to turn, you won't show me the lifts, I don't even know what the hell lifts are! I don't even know you and I'm doing this to save your ass! What I really wanna do is drop you on it!"

Elliot looked up at her, still on the ground, and was incredibly turned on. The way she yelled, her fierceness, her passion, it drove him mad. He smirked. "You know," he said. "The best place to practice lifts is in the water."

"You didn't hear a damn thing I just said, did you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow

Elliot laughed, got to his feet and grabbed her hand, sending a spark through both of them. He pulled her out of the studio and down to the lake, and as he took off his shoes he looked at her. "Is your mother gonna be pissed that I'm getting you wet?" he asked.

"She hasn't gotten mad about it yet, has she?" Olivia asked, then her eyes closed and she swallowed. She just said that out loud. "No," she said quickly. "She won't."

Elliot, a smug smile on his face, pulled her up onto the fallen tree trunk rail and, as she wobbled, he kept her hips steady. "Now, the most important thing to remember is balance." He took three big steps back, letting go of her, and said, "Walk to me."

"I hate you," she said, closing her eyes.

"No you don't," Elliot said, a chuckle in his voice. "Come here."

Olivia took a deep breath and walked, carefully, toward him, keeping her arms out to steady her. She got to Elliot and leaned into him in relief.

"Good, good," he said. "Not so hard, right?"

"Piece of cake," she replied, sarcastically, looking at him.

Elliot laughed. "Good. Now walk backwards."

Olivia's eyes widened. "Death! There will be death if I do that!"

"Better idea," Elliot said. He grabbed her left hand, and wrapped his other hand around her waist. "Dance with me. If you screw up, we both fall in the lake. You're wearing a white tank top. Don't screw up." He winked at her, counted, and they danced. "Stay focused on my eyes, Baby-Girl."

"I thought you wanted me to stay focused on not screwing up," she said, with a smirk.

"You can't do both?" Elliot asked.

Olivia shook her head. "No way," she said, laughing.

Elliot shrugged. "You're doing it." And she was. They were dancing, perfectly balanced. He stopped them and said, "Now here's where the lift would come in. Don't look down, look here," he said, gesturing to his eyes. "Now bend your knees. Go up. Up!" He lifted her up, they lost their balance, and into the water they went. Elliot was the first to surface, laughing as he shook the water off of his head. "Baby-Girl?" he called. "Hey!"

She splashed him from behind him. "Over here," she said. "You threw me over your head. Thanks," she spat.

"You, uh, you look really good wet," Elliot said, his voice cracking.

Olivia blushed a little and brushed her wet hair back. "Okay, so lift me. From down here though. It's, uh, a shorter fall."

Elliot laughed. "Yeah. Okay. Come here."

Olivia paddled over to him and felt his hands wrap around her. He was shaking. Maybe it was from the cold water. Maybe it was something else. "Okay, bend your knees, and I'm gonna lift you. Now, you'll hurt me, if you don't trust me. I need you trust me."

"I trust you," she said.

"Do you really?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

Olivia, looking back in his, felt her breath hitch. She really did. She didn't know why, but she did. "Yes," she said.

Elliot nodded. "Bend. One, two, and we're going up." He lifted her, over his head, and he smiled. Then he felt her wobble and they fell backward into the water.

They both surfaced at the same time, chuckling, shaking the water off and looked at each other. "One more time," Elliot said. He reached out a hand and fixed her tank top strap that had fallen off of her shoulder. "Okay?"

Olivia nodded. She waited until he had his hands on her waist, she bent her knees, and he lifted her up. "Okay, over my head. Go! Hold it, Baby-Girl," he said, from under her. "Don't move. Don't even blink." He waited a full count of five, then brought her back down, smiling. As she splashed into the water in front of him he said, "You got it. We got it." And without thinking, his arms wrapped around her again. Not in a dance hold, but in a hug. "Thank you," he whispered. "For everything."

Olivia, stunned at the contact, tentatively hugged him back. "You're welcome," she said.

As if he'd just realized what he was doing, he pulled away from her. He looked at her, nervously, and cleared his throat. "It's just, uh, you don't meet a lot of people who'll stick their necks out for complete strangers."

Olivia shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal."

"It is to me," Elliot said, looking deeply into her eyes. "You really are beautiful," he said as he brushed a strand of soaking wet hair behind her ear. "Outside, inside, you're absolutely beautiful." He let his hand wander to the back of her neck. He gave a light squeeze and pulled her toward him, as he leaned closer to her. Their lips brushed, then touched, then pressed together in a deliciously sweet and delicate, but emotional, kiss. Olivia stopped breathing, and when she felt his tongue run lightly across her lips, she died. She gasped, unaware that she'd opened her mouth just enough. He brushed his tongue over hers, lightly at first, and waited for her to respond. She did, after a moment, eagerly, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting out a soft moan.

Elliot pulled away first, pecking her lips with four more sweet, gentle kisses, before backing up and looking at her. He was searching her eyes. He found what he needed to see in them, and he smiled at her. "Did you mean it, when you said you trusted me?"

"Yes," Olivia said, with a nod.

Elliot walked out of the water, pulling her out with him, and sat on the dock. He wrapped an arm around her, pulled her close and said, "Not just with you, and the dancing. But…"

"I trust you," she said, knowing what he was trying to ask.

"Good," Elliot said, wrapping his other arm around her. "You should. I'm not going to give you any reason not to," he promised. "If you do trust me, Baby-Girl, tell me. How'd you get this?" he asked, turning her arm over. "Not that I don't already know. And what else has she done to you to make you think so little of yourself?"

Olivia sighed. "If I kiss you again, will you forget you asked me that?"

Elliot laughed. "I'll let you postpone answering it," he said, grinning, "But I want an answer."

"Later," Olivia said. And as Elliot nodded his agreement, their lips met again, in another heart-melting kiss.

"Elliot!" a voice bellowed form behind them.

The two broke apart and turned. Olivia's hand shot to her mouth and she looked away, suddenly feeling as if she'd done something wrong.

"Uh, hey," Elliot said, laughing it off.

The man tilted his head and said, "You know she's only…"

"I know," Elliot said. "I'm not gonna hurt her."

"If you do, I'll kill ya. And you, Baby-Girl, you just had to pick the summer he comes along to go all girly on me! I hope you know what the hell you're doing!" the guy yelled at Olivia.

"No," Olivia said. "I have no fucking idea what I'm doing, Fin. But what better time to figure at all out than the summer before I turn eighteen, huh?"

Fin shook his head and chuckled. "Just, be careful. No more kissing in public around here. He could get fired for this, ya know." Fin walked away, chuckling.

Olivia looked at Elliot, who smiled at her. He took a hold of her hand and walked her back to her cabin, kissing her lightly on the cheek before walking back to the staff housing units. He couldn't wait to see her again.

**A/N: Cue the music, Hungry Eyes! Still to come: the first gig, more Buddy and Alex, and Kathy finds out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: More kissing, more dancing, who sees them at the hotel in NYC? And a moment they can't take back; good thing they don't want to.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story. Dirty Dancing was written by Eleanor Bergstein, and some of her original lines have been used and altered.**

"So where'd you learn to dance?" Olivia asked, as she stared at the studio ceiling from her flattened-out position on the hardwood floor.

"In the Marines," Elliot replied, from his similar position, right next to her. His hand found its way to hers, entwining their fingers, as he continued. "This guy came into the mess hall one day, and we were just sitting around doing nothing, and he said they were giving a test for dance instructors. To help us transition back into life in the real world, get a job, ya know?"

Olivia made a non-committal sound of agreement as she turned her head to look into his mesmerizing eyes.

"And if you passed, they would teach you all these dances, then show you how to break them down. Teach them," Elliot said, looking back into her doe-eyes.

"You're brilliant," she said, rolling her head a little in a gesture of emphasis.

Elliot shrugged as his eyes clouded over.

Olivia's brow furrowed. "You don't wanna be a dancer for the rest of your life, do you? I can see it in your eyes, you hate it, don't you?"

Elliot sat up and shrugged. "It's just money," he said, "I dance with whoever the hell walks through that door for the money. Money I need, so I can do what I really wanna do."

"What do you wanna do?" Olivia asked, sitting up, reaching her hand out, touching his shoulder.

"Promise not to laugh?" he asked, without looking at her.

"I promise," Olivia said, smiling as she squeezed his shoulder.

Elliot stood, walked over to the stereo and played a slow, saxophone song, as he said, "I, uh, I wanna be a cop."

Olivia got to her feet and tilted her head. "Why would I laugh at that?"

"A Marine, turned dancer, turned cop? It's funny, Baby-Girl," Elliot said, shaking his head. "Can you believe it's tonight?" he asked, turning to her.

"No," Olivia said, reaching for his hands. She took one in hers and moved the other one to her waist. "Are you nervous?"

Elliot turned his bottom lip out as he started to dance with her. "Nope. Are you?"

"Scared to death," she said, moving with him, with ease.

Elliot stopped moving, stopped dancing, and pulled her close to him. "You'll be great," he whispered. Then he bent his head, trailed his arm up from her waist to her neck, and pulled her in for a deep, meaningful, kiss.

* * *

Alex, Kathy, and Olivia were in the bathroom of the dining hall, getting Olivia dressed and ready, and waiting for Elliot to knock on the window so the two could sneak away. Olivia was visibly nervous as Alex fixed her dress.

"Okay, so I gotta keep my head up, my frame locked, my arms open, um, shoulders down, stay on my toes...what if I forget the steps?" she asked, slumping over and sighing.

Kathy, bitterly, from the sink next to her, said, "Pull up, watch your frame. Remember, let him lead you."

"I'm afraid I'm gonna forget to spot, get dizzy, and fall on my face!" Olivia cried, almost in a panic. "No, no, don't look at my feet. Look up. Look in his eyes. Keep my eyes open."

Alex pulled lightly on the dress and said, "This looks so pretty on you, Benson."

Olivia scoffed. "Pretty ain't gonna make me a better dancer..."

"Thanks, Baby-Girl," Kathy said, suddenly.

Olivia dropped her arms, and her mouth. "What?"

"For this. What you're doing for him. For us. Thank you. And I want you to know, that I don't sleep around, whatever Dean might have told you."

Olivia shook her head, as Alex stood, dumbfounded, and Olivia said, "I didn't think..."

"And I thought he loved me," Kathy added. "I thought it was special. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that." Kathy tilted her head. " You do look very pretty, Baby-Girl."

"Thank you," Olivia said, right before Kathy started sobbing.

Kathy fell into Olivia and hugged her. "I'm so scared, Baby-Girl," she cried. "So scared."

"Oh, Kathy, you'll be fine, I know you will," Olivia said. "Dean's a schmuck, but Elliot will probably take..."

"Elliot's fallen in love with you, Baby-Girl," Kathy said, sniffling. "He hasn't told you?"

Olivia's eyes widened. She shook her head. Then there was a knock at the window. Elliot had to shut Kathy up, before she said too much. He'd heard everything, and he didn't need Olivia any more nervous than she already was. The window opened, and Olivia climbed out, into his waiting arms.

"Wow," he gasped as they ran toward his car. "You look beautiful."

Olivia smiled as she got into the passenger seat, afraid to speak. The ride into the city was quiet, but quick, since Elliot sped. He ushered her into the back entrance to the hotel and led her backstage, where they waited for their introduction. "Relax," he told her, wrapping her in his arms. "Relax, Baby-Girl."

Olivia just nodded. She felt him grab her hand, and vaguely hear the announcer say, "The Hyatt Hotel is proud to present, Elliot Stabler and partner in, 'Dance Dreams."

"Here we go," Elliot said, pulling her out onto the stage.

They posed, the music started, and they were off to great start. Olivia felt great. Her frame was locked, her eyes were open and on his, and they were hitting every count, every step, every beat. "Relax," he whispered to her.

"Yeah," she whispered back.

"Turn," he reminded her. "Wrong way!" Olivia simply turned again, the other way, making Elliot chuckle. "Come over here," he whispered, pulling her into position. "Spin out, you ready for the lift?"

"Shit," Olivia said, staring at someone in the audience. Elliot spotted the person, too, and swallowed, hard, then spun Olivia outward. She ran to him, and he picked her up, but the lift didn't work. To compensate, Elliot flipped her into a fan kick, swinging her leg onto his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it," he whispered, dropping her leg and continuing the dance. "Find your spot," he whispered to her, then spun her, quickly, five times, then dipped her down for the finish. He pulled her up when they heard the thunderous applause, and they bowed, panic-stricken. They ran off the stage, Elliot was handed an envelope of money, and he pulled her, quickly, back out to his car.

"You did good, Baby-Girl," Elliot said, trying to not look in his review mirror. Olivia was changing in the backseat, hoping she could convince her mother that it wasn't her she'd just seen dancing. He watched her, gulped, and sighed.

"Yeah, right," Olivia spat, throwing the dress over her head.

Elliot swallowed, catching her in the mirror. "You worked hard. By the second turn, you really had it."

"But I didn't do the lift," Olivia reminded him, zipping up her jeans, that they had to buy at the hotel so she could change.

"That was just as much my fault as it was yours. You did really good," Eliot said catching her eyes in the mirror.

Olivia smiled at his reflection. "Thanks."

* * *

He walked her to her cabin, kissed her, and whispered, "Thank you, Baby-Girl. You saved my ass, and I..." he stopped, looked into her eyes, kissed her again, and said, "Thank you."

"Anytime," she said. He was almost down the steps when she saw her mother stride up. "Oh, shit," she mumbled under her breath.

Elliot was polite, holding out his hand and smiling. "Good evening, Miss Benson."

"What the hell are you doing here? Are you bothering my daughter, after hours? We do not fraternize with the help!" Serena spat, viciously.

"Mom!" Olivia yelled.

Serena looked up at her and smirked. "You, Olivia, are above him. He has a place in this world, and it is far, far away from you, and far under you." She turned to Elliot and said, "I saw you tonight, dancing with that woman in the city, and that's against the rules, isn't it? You can't accept outside jobs? Stay away from my daughter or I'll have you fired, do you understand? You will never, ever, be good enough for my Olivia."

Elliot sighed. He looked up at Olivia and said, "I know that." He looked back down and walked away.

* * *

Elliot was wandering around his employee cabin room, listening to music, trying to shake the image of Olivia half-naked in the backseat out of his head, when there was a knock on his door. "Who the hell..." he trailed off, walked over, and opened the creaky, wooden door and his eyes widened.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah," he said, stunned, as he moved to the side to let Olivia in. "It's nothing, uh, I mean, you guys probably have this great room..."

Olivia looked around and smiled. "It's a great room," she said, trailing her fingers along a bookshelf in the corner.

Elliot walked over to his stereo and was about to turn off the music, when she turned to him. "No, leave it on," she said, quickly.

"Okay," Elliot answered, backing away from the player. "What are you, uh, how did you know where I..."

"Kathy told me," Olivia said, looking down at the floor. "I'm sorry about the way my mother treated you. It's really me, it has to do with..."

"She was right, Baby-Girl! People here treat me like I'm nothing because I am nothing," Elliot said, running a hand through his hair.

"That's not true!" Olivia shouted. "You're everything!"

Elliot laughed. "You don't understand the way it is for someone like me! Last month I was eating canned beans in a desert to stay alive, I cmoe home and find out my parents don't give a shit anymore, and this month women are shoving diamonds and hundred-dollar bills in my pockets! It doesn't make sense to me, but I'm balancing on shit, here, Baby-Girl, and I could fall into a huge pile any second. Your mother was right!"

"Elliot," Olivia said, walking over to him, "It doesn't have to be that way! It'll get better! You wanna be cop? Do it! What's stopping you?"

Elliot shook his head in disbelief. "I've never known anyone like you, Baby-Girl. You think you can make the world better, save people. If someone's lost, you find them. If someone's bleeding, you stitch them up. The only one I haven't seen you try to save is yourself. You put everyone else ahead of you, knowing what it's gonna cost you, that's the fucking bravest thing I've...you're not scared of anything!"

"Me? Are you crazy? I'm scared of everything!" Olivia yelled, looking into his eyes. "I'm scared of what I did, I'm scared of who I am," she said, pausing to breathe, "And most of all, I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling, for the rest of my entire life, the way I feel when I'm with you."

Elliot was speechless. He was so affected by her, then, that he grabbed her and kissed her, passionately. "Dance with me," he whispered against her skin.

"What? here?" Olivia asked, reeling from the kiss.

"Here," Elliot said. "Now." He held her close, dancing with her the way he danced with her at The Grove. Close. Intimate. Dirty. He kissed her as they danced, and Olivia, unsure of what she was doing, but knowing she wanted to do it, ran her hands down his bare chest, fumbling with the buckle of his pants.

"Hmmm," Elliot mumbled into their kiss, pulling back slightly, but Olivia was persistent, telling him this is what she wanted. Elliot, giving in, ran his hands up, under her top, and pulled it over her head, breaking their kiss for only a moment. "So beautiful," he whispered, dropping his head to kiss her neck, then the valley between her breasts, as they danced. Olivia managed to finally push his pants down, out of the way, and Elliot danced them over to the bed, and flattened her out on it, gently tumbling down on top of her. He kissed her, everywhere he could, as he removed the rest of her clothes. He laved each nipple and licked her most intimate areas, kissing each inch of her skin. He held her tight and kissed her, brushed her hair back, and looked into her eyes, silently asking if she was sure she wanted to do this.

"I'm in love with you, Elliot," she said with a nod, looking into his eyes, her fingers laced through his hair.

"I love you...Olivia," he said, using her real name, as he kissed her, deeply, and stretched, pushed, and squeezed, into her. "Oh, my God," he gasped, never having felt anything intense like this before, physically or emotionally. He felt it, as soon as it happened, as he stopped moving, holding her, kissing her, giving her time. "I'm sorry," he said into her ear, "I know that hurt."

"No," she said, "It didn't."

Elliot kissed her again, and began to move, never losing eye-contact.

* * *

As they lay there, curled up, together, naked and entangled, he pawed through her hair as her head rested on his chest and he asked, "Before, what did you mean when you said you were afraid of who you are? You're so amazing, you shouldn't be afraid of that."

Olivia sighed, craning her neck to look at him. "I don't really know who I am, Elliot," she said.

Elliot scoffed. "You seem pretty damn secure in..."

"No, I mean, literally," she said, sitting up and pulling the sheet with her.

Elliot raised an eyebrow, pulled the sheet away, smirked and pulled her back into his arms. "I'm listening, Baby-Girl," he said with a kiss.

"Promise you won't think any less of me," she demanded, "Promise me, that when I tell you this, you won't run."

Elliot looked into her eyes, kissed her, and said, "Nothing you could ever do will make me run, Baby-Girl."

Olivia took a deep breath and said, "I have no idea who my father is. My mother was raped, Elliot. That's the only reason I'm here, right now, is because she kept her rapist's baby."

"Woah," Elliot said, softly. "I love you even more now than I did five minutes ago. To come from the place you come from, and be who you are..." he said, shaking his head, "You're incredible."

Olivia bit her lips and chuckled a bit, then allowed herself to be pulled into a long kiss. Elliot rolled her onto her back and slid into her, slowly, making love to her for the second time, keeping the thought in the back of his mind that their time was running out.

**A/N: Who's ready for Olivia to stand up to her mother? Elliot gets fired! And, of course, the Sellerman's final dance! THEN...what happens after the summer ends?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Someone gets Elliot in trouble, Olivia tries to get him out, and someone finally stands up to Serena!**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story. Dirty Dancing was written by Eleanor Bergstein, and some of her original lines have been used and altered.**

"Where the hell were you all night?" Alex whispered to Olivia over their table at brunch.

Olivia, smirking, just shook her head. "I can't tell you, Al."

"You tell me, right now, Benson, or I swear to God I will tell our entire class you have rabies!" Alex threatened.

"Good, then they'll all stay the fuck away from me," Olivia joked, laughing. She saw the glare she was getting from Alex and rolled her eyes. "Fine, I was with..."

"Good morning," Mr. Sellerman interrupted. "How are my favorite guests doing?" he asked, winking at Serena.

Olivia held back a gag as Dean did the same thing to her.

"Fine, Charles," Serena said, flirtatiously.

"We're just making sure that you haven't had anything, uh, go missing from your cabin. There was a series of break-ins last night, and Dean has an idea of who he believes the culprit is," Sellerman said, looking around the banquet hall. He pulled out the seat next to Serena, sitting, leaned over, and whispered, "If any of you see that dancer fellow, you'd be mindful to..."

"What?" Olivia spat. "No, Elliot didn't do anything, Mr. Sellerman."

Serena blinked. "I did, however, see him at the Hyatt last night, dancing," she said with a smirk. "Then he was hanging around the guest cabins."

"Well, they reported a few thefts at the Hyatt, as well," Dean said, smugly. "That's why I believe it's him."

Olivia yelled, then. "You're wrong!"

Serena turned to Olivia and scolded her. "Olivia, mind your manners! You will not defend that good-for-nothing..."

Olivia stopped her, right there. "Elliot happens to be a wonderful person! He's sweet, and he's kind, and he's strong," she said, her heart pounding. "He's a Marine, Mom. A goddamned Marine! He's only working here because he needs the money for the police academy, he's gonna be a cop! Why the hell would he throw all of that away for some wallets and cheap jewelry? He didn't do it!"

"How do you know he didn't do it?" Mr. Sellerman asked.

Dean grabbed her hand and looked her in the eyes. "He was at the Hyatt, then when he came back here, several cabins were broken into. It makes sense, Baby-Girl."

"No, I know Elliot didn't do it, Mr. Sellerman. He was at the Hyatt, but he just did his act and then left. Sir, he didn't even leave the hall. When he came back, he walked me back to my cabin and then went back to his. He was there all night. I know," she paused, took a breath, and said, "And the reason I know, is because I was with him."

Alex's face broke out into a huge, round, wide grin.

Serena, however, scowled and shook her head. "So, that was you," she said, "Up on that stage, with that...man?"

Olivia nodded. "I'm sorry, Mom, but he needed my help and..."

"Dean," Mr. Sellerman said, turning to his nephew. "Did you know about this?"

Dean was silent.

"You did, didn't you? Is that why you accused Elliot?" Sellerman asked, now angry. "Because he got the girl? You are...I don't know what you are. Come on, we have to go find him, and deal with all of this." Olivia watched Mr. Sellerman and Dean get up and leave.

"You were with him all night, Olivia?" Serena seethed, looking at her daughter. "Is that how I raised you? To be a little tramp?"

Olivia scoffed. "No, Mother," she said, bitterly. Her voice grew louder as she barked, "You didn't raise me at all. The girl you see sitting here, next to you? I raised her, Mom. I did it, all by myself, because most of the time you're too drunk to remember you even have a daughter."

Serena's eyes widened. "How dare you?"

"Me? Mom, how dare you?" Olivia yelled, getting out of her seat, aware everyone was now looking. "How dare you blame me for everything? How dare you drink yourself stupid and beat the crap out of me every fucking day for no good reason? How dare you sit there and ask me to pretend everything's okay, when it's not, and it's never going to be? How dare you even call yourself a mother?" She threw her napkin down on the table and ran out.

Alex looked around, nervously, and started applauding. "Ladies and gentlemen," she yelled, "The Sellerman Players! That was a scene from, uh, _My Drunken Mother_ by Olivia Benson. Wasn't that wonderful?"

After a few murmurs, and then a round of applause from the guests, Alex sighed. Once again, she covered Olivia's ass so her mother wouldn't tear her to shreds. However, when Alex looked over at Serena, the usually violent, angry woman wasn't there. There was just a woman, crying into her Vodka. Alex moved into Olivia's empty seat and whispered, "You deserved that, you know."

Serena nodded and said, "Yes, I know."

* * *

Olivia heard Elliot's door screech open and she leaped off of the bed. "Well? What'd they say?"

Elliot looked at her and smiled. "I'm not being charged with anything. Someone gave them a detailed account of my whereabouts last night," he said, raising an eyebrow at her.

Olivia smiled, brightly, and moved to hug him. "I had to, Elliot! That's wonderful! I knew that everything would be all..."

"I'm out, Baby-Girl," he interrupted, pulling a suitcase out from his closet.

Olivia's smiled disappeared. "What? But you just said..."

"I'm being fired for mixing with the guests," he said, sounding bitter, narrowing his eyes at her. "And, if I leave quickly and quietly, I get to keep my summer bonus. An extra thousand bucks."

"Hold on," Olivia said, swallowing hard. "I did that all for nothing? I lied to my best friend, I told my mother...fucking hell, Elliot, I yelled at my mother! I sounded like a fucking lunatic, defending you to her, and she knows...oh, God, she knows that we...God! I'm gonna get the shit kicked out of me, she's never gonna trust me again, they fired you anyway, and I did it all for nothing!"

Elliot dropped his suitcase and pulled her into his arms. "Hey," he said. "Calm down, Baby-Girl. I knew when this started that if anyone found out I'd lose this job. You tried, yet again, to save my ass, and because you did, I'm not being arrested, just fired. Don't you get that, Baby-Girl?" Elliot plopped on the bed and ran a hand through his hair. "You saved me this summer, in so many ways. Now, I gotta go, but this," he said, grabbing her hand, "You and me, has meant everything to me. You gotta believe that."

Olivia moved, straddling him, and nodded. "I do," she said, kissing him. She unbuttoned his shirt and pushed him backward on the bed, as his hand slowly ran over her body. "I love you," she whispered, kissing her way down his chest.

"God, I love you, too," he replied, pulling her back up to kiss her, slowly.

They made love, slowly, one last time, then she helped him pack.

She walked with him to his car, and looked up at him as he leaned against the side.

He pulled her to him, kissed her deeply, and said, "I'll never be sorry."

"Neither will I," Olivia replied, kissing him again.

Elliot ran his fingers through her hair, then walked around to the other side of his car, getting into the driver's seat. "I'll call you, and I'll write to you whenever I can. This isn't over, Baby-Girl. Not by a long shot."

Kathy, who was watching, moved over and wrapped an arm around Olivia. Olivia nodded, waved, and as Elliot drove away, she turned and cried on Kathy, the way Kathy had cried on her. "Shh," Kathy said, holding back tears of her own. "It's okay, Baby-Girl. I know Elliot. He won't give you up."

"He just did," Olivia whispered, sobbing, as Kathy led her back to the guest cabins.

* * *

After another three and a half hours of crying and yelling in the cabin, Olivia went down to the final dinner, after which the Bensons and Alex would be leaving. Serena, Mr. Sellerman, Dean, Buddy, Alex, and Olivia, who was tucked into a seat in the corner, sat around the VIP table in the banquet hall, preparing for the farewell gala. The guest talent show was about to start, and Elliot and his partner were supposed to dance, the final dance of the season. But that wasn't going to happen now.

Olivia sat, silent, with her arms folded. She hadn't touched her food, or her water. The way she had been since Elliot left, two days ago. She hadn't made any eye-contact with anyone, she hadn't blinked, and she hadn't noticed that she stopped crying. She wasn't even paying attention to the garbled singing coming from the silly-looking woman in the hula skirt who had graced the stage.

"She sounds like a dying cat," Buddy said, nudging Olivia. He noticed her frozen, non-responsive expression, and he sighed. "Baby-Girl," he said, "Are you gonna just sit there, all sad, it's the last day of your summer vacation. You need to enjoy..."

Olivia turned her head and gave him a violent look, scaring the shit out of him.

"Okay," Buddy said, gulping. "Don't enjoy it. Sulk away."

Serena, drinking straight water, looked at her daughter and realized at that moment that she had missed seventeen years of her life because of alcohol. She didn't know her daughter at all, and that's why she had no idea Olivia had fallen in love with the dancer. If she had been sober, and nicer, maybe Olivia would have told her. Maybe they could have been a real mother and daughter. Maybe Elliot would still be here, and Olivia would be happy.

As the warbling hula-girl, left the stage, and a young tap dancer walked onto it, the back doors swung open. Alex's eyes widened as the figure approached their table and when the man stopped, everyone, except Olivia, was looking at him. Alex slapped Olivia, earning another violent glare, and pointed. Olivia turned her head and her eyes lit up.

Elliot looked into Serena's eyes and said, through gritted teeth, "Nobody puts Baby-Girl in the corner." He held out his hand to Olivia.

Olivia placed her hand in his and maneuvered her way out of her seat. Allowing herself to be pulled up to the stage. As they walked into the middle of the stage, the dancer stopped dancing and the music stopped playing, and he stood in front of the microphone.

"Sorry for the interruption folks," Elliot said, "But I'm supposed to do the last dance of the season. And though someone told me not to, I'm gonna do my kind of dancing with a great partner. She's someone who's taught me a lot about love, and trust, bravery and kindness, and she's taught me about the kind of person I wanna be. Miss Olivia Benson."

Serena stood up, quickly, but Alex spat, harshly, "Sit down, Serena!"

Serena looked at the blonde, and slowly sat back down, shocked.

"Stay here," Elliot whispered to Olivia as he ran backstage. He handed a CD to Fin, and said, "Track five, pal."

"Welcome back," Fin said, smirking.

Elliot chuckled. "I only came back for her."

"I know," Fin said, as the song started to play.

Elliot walked, slowly, toward Olivia as the first slow lines of the song echoed through the room. Their eyes locked as he pulled her close, and twisted her around, looping her arm up, around his neck. He dropped a light kiss to her neck, causing her eyes to flutter shut as his hand traveled down the length of her arm, his fingers locking with hers, on her other hand. He kissed her cheek ass the music picked up speed on a single beat, and he twirled her, spinning her out, and then, they danced.

"Oh, my God," Alex said, from her seat, watching. "She's amazing!"

"Yeah," Serena said, nodding, "She is. She looks beautiful."

Every step, every turn, every move was right, and their eyes remained locked, smiles never leaving their faces. Elliot grabbed her hands and pulled her in, close, wrapping his hands around her waist, rolling his hips into hers. She rolled right back at him, earning thunderous cheers from the crowd, but to them, there was no audience, there was only them. Elliot kissed her, quickly, and took a flying leap off the stage, landing on his feet. He danced toward the back of the hall, and when he got there, he turned to see everyone in the room looking at him. As he danced back toward the stage, several of the people he knew from The Grove, including Kathy, were dancing with him.

Elliot stopped. He looked at Olivia and raised one eyebrow and gave her a nod. She chuckled and nodded, and Elliot signaled for two guys to help her down from the stage. They did, and she ran, on her toes, into his arms and he lifted her, high over his head, and she stayed, in perfect position, until he lowered her to the ground, and all they could hear, as they looked into each other's eyes, was the thunder of the applause and the pounding of their hearts. Elliot smiled, brushed the hair out of her eyes and kissed her, deeply, right in the middle of the banquet hall.

When they decided they needed air, they took a look around, and everyone was on their feet, dancing, happy. Elliot tugged lightly on Olivia and guided her toward the door, but Serena stepped in front of them.

Olivia flinched and moved behind Elliot.

Elliot looked at Serena and said, "I'm not gonna hurt her. I promise. And I'm not gonna let you hurt her, either."

"I know," Serena said. "I know you aren't what I thought you were, Elliot. And when I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong." She turned her head slightly and looked at Olivia. "And you," she said, her eyes narrow. "You looked wonderful up there."

Olivia smiled, tears in her eyes, and was shocked when, for the first time in seventeen years, her mother hugged her.

Elliot smiled at the scene. Olivia let go of her mother and wrapped her arms back around Elliot. He kissed her, then pulled Olivia along, outside, to the lake. They spent a great deal of time, holding each other and kissing. As the sun set, he looked over at her and said, "You're leaving, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Olivia whispered. "Right after the show."

Elliot pressed his lips together and shrugged. "We'll figure something out. I'll be at the academy so, I mean, it's not too far from where you..."

"You're going?" Olivia asked, with a huge smile.

Elliot smiled back at her and nodded. "I never would have, though. Not without you," he said, kissing her. "Your encouragement pushed me, and you believed in me when no one did. Not even me. I'll never forget that."

"Olivia," Serena called, waving Olivia over to her, to follow her to the car. "Come on, honey."

Olivia nodded, then looked back at Elliot. She kissed him, hard and deep, and said, "Call me, as soon as you get to the city, and..."

"Go," Elliot said, tears in his own eyes. "We'll be fine, I promise. I love you, Olivia Benson."

"I love you, too, Elliot Stabler," Olivia replied. They kissed, a heartbreaking kiss, and as they pulled away, Elliot whispered, "Goodbye, Liv."

Olivia raised an eyebrow.

"That's who you are to me," he said, smiling.

Olivia walked backwards, two steps, and said, "Bye, El."

Elliot waved to them as they drove away, and as he walked back to his own car, turned the key, and peeled out of the Sellerman's Resort lot, he cried. He had the time of his life that summer, and he could only hope that he would be enough for Olivia, and they would be able to hold on to whatever it was they had as he made it through the academy, as Olivia finished high school, and college, and figured out what she wanted to do. Then, he wondered, briefly, if she might be better off doing that all without him.

**A/N: What a ride! Next, what happens? Do they see each other again? When? Where? How? Wanna know? **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hmmm, what happens when the dancing stops? And then starts again?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story. **

The rest of the summer came and went, school started and seemed to be flying by. Serena was sober for a week after leaving the resort, then she went right back to drinking after Ken Sellerman broke up with her. She blamed Olivia. Olivia hadn't heard from Elliot since she left him by the lake, and her nights were worse than they'd ever been. She was suffering worse beatings, getting into worse fights with her mother, and she just didn't care anymore. Nothing mattered now, or so it seemed.

It was an intensely cold, February day, snowing like hell, when all of that finally changed. She walked up to the school and met Alex, who ran over to her, immediately. "What the hell happened to you?" Alex asked, turning her face up toward the barely-there sunlight.

"I ran into a door, Al," Olivia said, swatting her hands away with a laugh. "What the hell do you think happened? She punched me in the face." Olivia looked around and said, "What's with all the cops?"

"Academy graduation," Alex said. "The stupid thing was in Queen's Point, so they're celebrating by gallivanting through the city. A lot of them are really cute," she said, catching the eye of a young officer and waving.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said, clearly not caring. She pulled on Alex's sleeve and walked toward the doors to their school, saying, "We're gonna be late for Chemis..." she stopped, mid-sentence, as her eyes landed on him. He was standing, no more then three feet in front of her, in full uniform, smirking.

"Hey," he said, his head dropping slightly. He met her eyes as he began to plead with her. "I called. I swear to God, Liv, I called. Your mom kept answering the phone, and she...what happened?" he asked, panicking as he saw her black eye. "Did she do this to you?"

Olivia said nothing. She was still in shock. She touched his hand, looking up at him, and her other hand reached out and traveled down his chest. "El...you...you're..." she stuttered, trying not cry, trying to remember how to breathe. "You're really..." she trailed off, clutching the shirt of his uniform.

"Yeah," he said, nodding, "I'm here." He brushed her hair back over her head, examining the bruise, then ran his fingers over her lips. "You never wrote back, so I came here hoping you..."

Olivia interrupted him. "You wrote to me?"

"Every day," he said, furrowing his brow. "You didn't get the letters? You didn't get the...oh, shit, Liv, your mother! She probably..."

Without letting him finish, she ran off, down the street.

"Damn it, Liv!" he yelled, running after her. He was surprised at how fast she was, but he was faster. Not by much. He followed her all the way back to her house and inside, and he watched her yell for her mother, loudly. "Liv, stop! Come here," he said, pulling her toward him. "You couldn't just hug me for a second before you took off like a bat outta hell?" he laughed.

"No," Olivia spat, not laughing. "Mother!"

"What are you yelling about, you little brat?" Serena barked, stumbling in from the kitchen. "Shouldn't you be in...you?" she asked, her eyes focusing on Elliot, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Olivia didn't give him time to answer. "Where are the letters, Mom? And how come you wouldn't let me talk to him when he called? Do you know what I've been going through, thinking he didn't care?"

Serena laughed. "He doesn't care, Olivia," she said. "Men don't care. I was trying to make it easier for you. If you ended it with him now, you wouldn't be hurt by him when he eventually left you later."

"That's not gonna happen," Elliot spat, holding onto Olivia.

"Mother," Olivia seethed, "Where are the letters he sent me?"

Serena narrowed her eyes, and leered at her daughter. "You think I kept them? I threw them out the minute they arrived. I kept this, though. It's gorgeous, isn't it? So classy," she said, holding up her hand. An elegant ring sparkled brightly on her finger in the low light of the living room.

"I can not believe you," Olivia snapped. "Gimmie it!"

Elliot pulled Olivia toward the door as he said, "Liv, I'll just buy you another one. I don't want you wearing anything that's been on her finger anyway."

"That's not the point, El! You don't know what it's been like! I thought you didn't want me anymore, and I was so...and I just let her...I didn't care anymore and I..."

"Tell me," Elliot said, looking directly into her eyes. "I just spent twenty-two weeks at the police academy, baby. I came out carrying a badge and a gun. Say the word, Liv, and she's history. Tell me what she did to you."

Serena cackled as the ice clinked lower in her glass, melting into the vodka. "Olivia's not going to tell you anything. I'm her mother, and I'm the only family she has."

Olivia's eyes seemed to redden, and she looked at Elliot, sternly, and said, "Do you want me to tell you here? Or should we go to the police station so I can lodge a formal complaint?"

Elliot smirked. But before he could say anything, Serena was up, out of her seat, and on top of Olivia, hitting and screaming. Elliot, quick and strong, pulled Serena off of her. "You little bitch," Serena yelled at Olivia, struggling in Elliot's arms. "You'd betray your own mother?"

Olivia shook her head as she said, "Just like you've betrayed your own daughter, over and over again." She looked at Elliot and nodded.

"Serena Benson," Elliot said. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of..."

Serena interrupted him. "The letters are in a shoebox, in my closet."

"Doesn't change a damn thing," Olivia said, anger and hurt seeping through every pore. She walked into her mother's bedroom to look for the box as Elliot finished reading her mother her rights.

Elliot came back, three hours later, and found Olivia at her kitchen table, crying, reading Elliot's letters. "Liv," he said, softly, "You need to go down to the station and talk to someone in the Special Victim's Unit. Technically, you're still a child. Come on, I'll take you..."

"I'm so sorry," Olivia said, tilting a letter toward him. "If I would have known...if I would have read them..."

"I know, Liv," Elliot said, stepping closer and brushing her hair back. "You do still love me, don't you?"

Olivia leaped up from the chair and threw her arms around him. "So much," she whispered. "I'm sorry I never answered you."

"I wrote you one-hundred-and-fifty-four letters, baby. I just figured you couldn't write back fast enough," he laughed. "It wasn't until letter one-fifty that I started to worry." Elliot squeezed her harder and took a deep breath. "Let's go. You have to talk to someone about this, and then I will take you back to my place, and we'll spend all day and all night together."

Olivia nodded, with a smile, then her eyes widened. "Shit! I totally ditched school!"

"I took care of it," Elliot said. "No one questions the badge." He chuckled as he wrapped his arm around Olivia and led her out of the house.

* * *

After she spoke to a detective, Elliot took her to his place. She took a hot shower, and he gave her a pair of sweats and a tee-shirt. He walked out of his kitchen, over to his small couch, and handed Olivia a cup of coffee. "Here, honey," he said, sitting down next to her, wrapping an arm around her. "You did good, baby." He picked up a remote control and pushed a button, turning on the stereo. A soft, slow song filled the room, softly, comforting the both of them.

"Thanks," Olivia said, sighing, as she sipped her coffee. "I don't exactly know what I'm supposed to do now. What's she gonna do to me if I don't go home?"

"You'll be eighteen tomorrow, baby," Elliot said, smirking. "You don't have to go home. It doesn't matter. Your mother's spending at least a week in jail. She can't touch you, honey."

Olivia rested her head on his shoulder. "Five months," Olivia said, closing her eyes. "Five fucking months, because of her, I've spent feeling miserable, thinking you had lied to me all summer."

"I was just as miserable," Elliot said, kissing her forehead. "But it's okay now, Liv. I've got you, and you're safe in my arms where you belong."

Olivia tilted her head up and smiled at him. "Those letters were so beautiful, El. Did you mean everything you said?"

"Every single word," Elliot said, pressing his lips to her head once again.

"Will you do me a favor?" Olivia asked, putting her coffee down and rising to her feet.

"Anything," Elliot said, looking up at her.

Olivia took his hands, pulling him to his feet, and said, "Dance with me."

Elliot smirked, resting his forehead against hers. "What?" he asked, "Here?"

"Here," Olivia said, slowly swaying, moving his hands to her waist, smirking. "Now," she said, mimicking his own words and actions from thier first night together. She pulled him closer, rolling her hips into his, finding her rhythm with him again.

Elliot bit his lip, rolling his hips into hers, wrapping his arms around her. "And here we are, Liv, dancing again," he whispered, lightly brushing his lips over hers, unsure of whether or not she wanted him to kiss her.

"Yeah," Olivia said, skimming her hands down his chest. She tilted her head up, just a bit, pressing her lips to his.

Elliot let out a muffled cry and stopped dancing. His hands shot to her head and he deepened the kiss as he cupped her face in his palms. "God, Liv, baby," he mumbled as he kissed her.

Olivia moaned against his lips, shocked at the pure emotion this kiss contained. Her own hands gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly as they stumbled back toward the bedroom. "El," Olivia whispered, "Please, don't leave me again."

"I'm right here," Elliot whispered back, kissing her as he pulled down her sweatpants with one hand, keeping the other on the back of her neck. "I'm not going anywhere. Ever." He backed her up, making her step out of the pants, and they fell lightly onto his bed. Olivia, kissing him, unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off of him. Her hands moved next to his pants, unzipping them and pulling them down as far as she could get them, then she dragged them down with her feet. She kissed him, holding onto him for dear life, as Elliot slid down her panties. Olivia kicked them off, making Elliot laugh against her lips. "Liv," he whispered, starting to push into her, slowly, "I love you."

"I love you, El," Olivia said back to him, digging her nails into his back as she breathed through the pain. "Oh, God, El," she cried. With two slow thrusts, the pain was gone, and they were in Heaven.

Elliot kissed her, deeply, as he moved. He glanced at the clock, quickly. It was five after midnight. He chuckled then pressed his forehead to hers, looking into her eyes as he whispered, "Happy birthday, baby."

* * *

Lying in each other's arms, staring at his ceiling, totally quiet and content, they nuzzled and cuddled and kissed. "So, that last letter," Elliot said, his eyes drifting shut as he brushed Olivia's damp hair back. "The question..."

"Yes," Olivia said, half-asleep. "You can take me to the prom."

Elliot chuckled. "Not that question, though we are gonna make everyone else jealous of our amazing dance moves. The other question."

"Oh," Olivia laughed, curling closer to him. "The answer's still yes."

Elliot kissed her, then yawned. A slow, big smile spread across his face as he and Olivia fell fast asleep, knowing that, now that she was eighteen, nothing was gonna keep them apart.

**A/N: What did he ask her in that letter? What happens when Olivia goes to college?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: What did Elliot ask her in that letter? A surprise guest brings more surprises with her!**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story. **

"I have a date, already," Olivia said, barking over her shoulder to the guy following her out of the school doors. "Thanks, though."

The boy shook his head, and turned, and walked away. Alex put her arm on Olivia's shoulder and said, "You shouldn't have lied to him like that, Benson."

"I'm not lying," Olivia said, smirking. "Elliot's taking me to the prom."

Alex's eyes widened and she gasped. "Is he gonna wear his uniform? That'd be so hot!"

"As hot as he'd look, no," Olivia said with a laugh. "Really, Al? A cop at the prom? That wouldn't drive away the fun or anything." She turned, grabbed Alex's arm, and pulled her away down the block.

"So it's been almost three months! Tell me. What's it like, Ms. Eighteen-year-old-independent-woman-who-lives-with-a-cop?" Alex asked, waggling her eyebrows.

Olivia laughed and shook her head. "Safe," she said shrugging. "Amazing," she added with a smile. "Romantic," she added, getting a dreamy look in her eyes.

"And, uh, seeing as how you're eighteen," Alex said, following Olivia into Elliot's apartment, "It's totally legal now."

Olivia didn't respond. She was too focused on the blonde woman sitting on the couch, and the baby in her arms. "Kathy?" Olivia asked, a nervous tone in her voice.

"Hey, Baby-Girl!" Kathy said, turning in her seat.

Elliot ran in from the kitchen, wide-eyed. "Liv? Baby, you're home!" he cried, running toward her. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a searing kiss.

"Yeah," Olivia said, raising an eyebrow. "So are you. Why?"

"Well," Elliot began. "Kathy came down to the station to see me and when I got back from my route and found her in the lobby, my captain told me to take the rest of the day off and get her settled."

"Settled?" Olivia asked, both eyebrows rising. "Settled where?"

Elliot brushed a thumb over her lips and said, "She moved into another apartment in the building. She's gonna stay for dinner, though, before she heads upstairs. Isn't the baby beautiful?"

Olivia, trying to smile, said, "Yeah. Beautiful." There was something unsettling about finding her boyfriend's old dance partner, who had obviously been in love with him, on the couch with a one-month-old baby. She'd been here while Olivia had been at school all day. Olivia was thinking horrible thoughts. Why was Kathy in the city? Why did she move into the same building as Elliot?

"His name is Jacob. Jacob Alexander Porter. By giving him his father's last name, we can get support from him," Kathy explained, thinking Olivia had been staring at the baby.

Olivia blinked. "Oh, uh, right," she said. "Cute name. Jacob."

"Liv, are you okay?" Elliot asked, brushing her hair back.

Olivia nodded. "I'm just..." she stopped talking when her thoughts traveled to what would happen next month, when she moved away to school and left Elliot here, with Kathy. He had asked her to move in with him, asked him to marry him the minute she graduated from college, in that last letter. He planned their whole future, so obviously he was serious about her, but that would probably change once she wasn't around and Kathy was here in her place. At least, that's what she was thinking right now.

"You're just...what, baby?" Elliot prodded, concerned, looking her over.

"Nothing," Olivia said, shaking the depressing thoughts out of her head. "It was nothing. What are you making for dinner?"

Elliot smiled. "Stuffed peppers and a huge salad," he said, kissing her. "Alex, uh, are you staying?"

"No," Alex said. "Just walked her home is all. Have fun, guys. And Elliot, you giant idiot, I guess I'll see you at the prom."

Elliot's eyes widened and he walked over to Alex. "You got a problem, Cabot?"

"Yeah, Stabler. I do," Alex said. She leaned into him and whispered, "You spent the entire day with Kathy, while Olivia was at school, and now she's staying for dinner. You are an idiot!"

"Oh, come on," Elliot said, scoffing. "Olivia and Kathy get along, and you and Olivia both know there's absolutely nothing going on between me and Kathy. There never will be. We're just friends."

"I'm not the one you have to convince, Elliot." Alex waved to Olivia, then to Kathy, and then she left.

Elliot looked at Olivia, saw the look in her eyes, and knew that Alex was right.

Dinner was spent listening to Kathy talk about the last few months of her life, what her delivery was like, and Olivia couldn't have been more distant. She wasn't listening to anything the blonde was saying. Her mind was racing. What did they do all day? Was Elliot the type of guy who cheats on his girlfriend? The type of twenty-two-year-old _man_ who cheats on his eighteen-year-old _girl_friend? She didn't know. In fact, she didn't know anything anymore. She was panicking. She shook her head again and squeezed the bridge of her nose, trying to chase those thoughts away, and that's when she heard Kathy clear her throat. Olivia looked at her, tilting her head.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, Baby-Girl?" Kathy asked, gesturing to the bedroom. "Alone."

"Um, yeah," Olivia replied, afraid of what Kathy would have to say. She glanced at Elliot and smiled unsurely, then followed Kathy into the bedroom. She sat on the bed and waited for Kathy to do the same.

Kathy smiled, then she asked the question that had shocked Olivia. "Will you be Jacob's Godmother?" she asked, looking from Olivia to the doorway, knowing Elliot had risen and walked over to eavesdrop the second he could.

"What?" Olivia asked, confused. "Why? You don't even know me," she said, softly.

"I know enough," Kathy said. "I know that you're kind, and sweet. I know that you're smart and generous. And I know that you would go to the ends of the earth to help someone if they were ever in trouble. You're the kind of person I would want Jacob to have in his life, Baby-Girl. The type of person I would want to raise him, if I no longer could. Besides, Baby-Girl, Elliot has already agreed to be his Godfather, so it's only natural that you be his Godmother."

"Please," Olivia said, smiling, "Don't call me Baby-Girl anymore. And, uh, wow, Kathy, that…I thought you…that was really nice."

Kathy smiled and said, "Baby-Gi…Olivia, I know you think I'm still in love with Elliot. And while that may, sort of, be true, I also know that he's terribly in love with you. I'm not here to come between you, I promise. I'm here because I need to be around people who support me, who I trust, and right now the only two people that fit both of those requirements are you and Elliot. I'll understand if you don't want me here, and I will leave, but…"

"Kathy," Olivia said, interrupting her, "I'd be honored to be Jacob's Godmother. And, yes, seeing you here, knowing you were alone with him all day was a shock. I'm still grappling with all of these fears and insecurities form spending a lifetime with someone who told me that I was impossible to love. I'm so afraid that I'm gonna wake up one day and find out that this has all been some cruel joke, ya know? I'm afraid that when I leave for school, when I'm not here, he'll realize he's better off without me. He can do better."

Kathy rested a hand on Olivia's knee and asked, "Why would you ever think that?"

"Why wouldn't I think that?" Olivia asked in return. "My mother hid his letters from me, and when he called she never let me talk to him, and it was so easy for me to believe he just didn't…look," she sighed. "I'm never gonna believe he wants me. Not when he can have someone better. Someone…someone like you."

Elliot, from the doorway, asked, "What can I do to make you believe it, Liv?" He stepped into the room and knelt before her, looking into her eyes. "I already asked you…" he paused, and looked at Kathy, then continued. "I mean, we have all these plans now, and they're not gonna change. Not on my end, Liv. The only reason I haven't taken you down to a judge right now is because I don't want to rip away what's left of your childhood, or trap you in this relationship if you do meet someone else at school."

"I don't want anyone else," Olivia said, looking into his eyes. Her gaze was piercing. Serious.

"Neither do I," Elliot said, a smile forming at the corners of his lips. "Ever. Believe me," he said, cupping her face.

Olivia placed her hands over his and sighed. "That's so hard for me to do, El," she whispered to him. "You're the only person…"

"I know I am," he interjected, resting his forehead against hers. "I could kill that woman for what she's done to you, Liv. I swear to God, I'm gonna make you believe me. I'm gonna make you believe that you're worth loving, just the way you made me believe I was last summer."

Olivia chuckled, remembering the way they met, and fell in love, almost a year ago. "That was one hell of a summer, huh?" she said, smiling.

"Best one of my life, Liv," he said, kissing her. "It gave me you."

Olivia shook her head. "It gave us each other," she said, kissing him again.

Kathy smiled as she watched them kiss, and she sighed knowing that what she was about to do was the right thing, for everyone. "Hey, Olivia, have you thought about maybe going to NYU? Or Columbia? You got into those schools, right?"

"Uh," Olivia stammered, taken aback. "Yeah, how did you…"

"Elliot told me," Kathy interrupted. "All he did all day was talk about you. If you went to school in the city, instead of upstate, you could stay here with him. There'd be nothing to be afraid of anymore. If it's money you're worried about, I'm sure…as the wife of a New York City police officer they would…"

Elliot gasped. "Oh, my God! Liv, she's right!"

"What?" Olivia yelped. "You can't be serious, El! You wouldn't seriously…"

"I would," he interrupted. "In a heartbeat!"

Kathy grinned. "There you go. Tomorrow, you and I will take Jacob down to the registrars office at…pick one, Olivia," she told her.

"Columbia, it's an Ivy League school. Am I really gonna do this?" Olivia asked, her eyes widening as she looked at Elliot.

Elliot bit his lip and nodded vigorously. "We are, yeah, baby."

"Okay," Kathy said. "We go down to the registrar's office and sign you up for classes, then you call Siena and give them the bad news. Then you and Elliot head on down to the courthouse, find yourselves a judge, get yourselves married, and you, my dear girl, are on your way to a happy life as a married, criminal justice major at the best university in New York City." She smirked as she watched Elliot pull Olivia into his arms and kiss her, passionately. She knew that tonight and tomorrow, they would be thanking her for this. It was the day after tomorrow that had her worried. The day after tomorrow, she'd be lucky if either one of them every spoke to her again.

**A/N: Uh-oh! Why? What's she gonna do? Next chap: We find out what Kathy does, and where it leaves Olivia and Elliot!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: A BIG thank you to all of the readers, reviewers and "favoriters," which is now a word. I LOVE YOU ALL! In this chapter, what has Kathy done, and how are Olivia and Elliot handling it?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story.**

"How many times have you called her?" Olivia asked, holding a crying Jacob in her arms.

"Thirty-nine!" Elliot yelled. He pushed the redial button on his phone and said, "Forty! Why is he crying, baby? What's wrong with him?"

Olivia tried to calm the baby down, but it was hopeless. "What the hell am I supposed to be doing with him? I don't know anything about babies! I don't even know anything about parents, considering I never really had any!"

"God damn it," Elliot spat, snapping his phone shut, "She's just ignoring the calls, baby. She has to be! What are we supposed to do? Fucking hell, she just left him here! She asked you to hold him, then she took off! What the hell are we gonna do with him?"

Olivia looked up at him and sighed. "I…I can't…I can't just leave him, El."

"I know, Liv," Elliot said, sighing with her. "I can't just give him away either. What did that damn letter you found say?"

Olivia jutted her chin toward the couch and said, "It's in the diaper bag," she said, still trying to calm him down. "Come on, little one, I fed you, I changed you…I didn't do a very good job, I'll give you that, but you gotta work with me, here."

Elliot pulled the letter out of the bag and unfolded it, read it, and cursed under his breath. "She planned this," he said. "The only reason she even came here, asked us to be his Godparents, is because she fucking wanted to leave him here. She said she never wanted to be a mother, but knew that we would love him."

"El!" Olivia cried. "That's why she convinced us to get married! She wasn't looking out for our relationship, she needed a legally wed set of parents for him."

"Jesus," Elliot said, running a hand down his face. "I knew she was being too nice. She would never…look at him," he said, walking over to Olivia and the baby. "How could anyone just walk away from him?"

Olivia smiled down at Jacob and said, "I have no idea."

Jacob, looking up at Elliot and Olivia, stopped crying. His little eyes blinked and he made a content gurgling sound.

"Hey," Elliot said, smiling. "There we go, buddy. See, there's nothing to cry about. We got ya." He reached back into the diaper bag and said, "Maybe he wants a rattle or a…" he stopped and pulled out a yellow piece of paper. "Holy Mother of God," he cried, putting a hand to his head. "Liv!"

"What?" Olivia asked, concerned. "What is it?"

"Kathy has some serious explaining to do," he said. "The baby's full name is Jacob Oliver Stabler. Not Porter. And according to this, I'm his father."

Olivia's eyes grew wide and her voice grew angry. "What?" she snapped.

"And you're his mother," Elliot said, holding up the certificate. "Fucking sticky note on the back says, 'Please, forgive me. I had to.' What the hell did she do?"

Olivia blinked. She froze, only moving to shift the baby's weight. "Some people get cars for graduation," Olivia said, shocked, "I got a husband and a son." She shook her head and asked, "How the hell did she pull that one off?"

"She worked in the hospital, Liv," Elliot said, shrugging. "I guess a friend must have done her a favor. As a cop, I know I should report this, but I know what'll happen to the baby, and I can't let that happen, honey. I just can't."

Olivia, looking down at Jacob, who was now sleeping, said, "Okay, so, then I guess we're parents. Very young, very unprepared, very pissed off parents."

"Liv, we can't do that, either! I mean, the prom is next week, and then we have your graduation dinner. Everyone knows he's not our son, and no one we know is gonna understand this and want to babysit," Elliot said, running a hand through his hair. "And then you have to go to school in the fall, I've got a very demanding job, then you're gonna be a cop, too, Liv. We can't…"

Olivia smirked knowingly as she handed Elliot the sleeping baby and he instantly smiled, relaxed, and said, "We'll figure this out. Won't we, little guy?"

"We will," Olivia said, smiling at her new husband and the son they had been given. "We can take some time to figure this all out. We don't have to go to the prom, El."

Elliot looked up at her. "Yeah, we do. You are not missing that, baby. I know a guy, Liv. He's not my captain, but he'll understand. He can help us. Hey, maybe we can leave Jake in the precinct daycare. It's twenty-four hours, and they're very nice people."

Olivia watched Elliot stroke Jacob's cheek, and she felt her heart swell. "We'll go talk to them tomorrow, okay?" she suggested. "We've had a very busy, very exhausting day. We just got married and had a baby!"

Elliot laughed and nodded as he carried Jacob into the bedroom. He laid the baby on the bed, surrounding him with pillows, and changed out of the suit he'd been wearing. He watched as Olivia changed out of her simple, knee-length, white dress and he groaned.

"What?" Olivia asked, turning around.

"My wedding night," he said, shaking his head, "And I can't make love to my wife because we're gonna have a baby in the…" he paused, smirked, and said, "Crib. She probably left the thing here, right?"

Olivia smiled. "The portable one, yeah, by the door."

Elliot ran out of the room, coming back moments later with a folded up, portable crib. He chuckled to himself as he unfolded the crib, pulling it upright. "Ha!" he cried softly, clapping his hands together. "Come here, little one," he whispered, picking Jacob up and carrying him carefully to the crib. He laid him down, smiling, and sighed. "So cute," he said, turning from the crib, facing Olivia. "And you, my darling, are so beautiful."

Olivia looked at him, softly, and smiled as he pulled her toward him. "We really got married today," she whispered as he dropped his forehead to hers.

Elliot kissed her, nodding. "I know," he said. "I was there." He pecked her lips again, pulling her closer, wrapping her tightly in his arms. He pulled her down onto the bed, reminded her to be quiet for the sake of the baby, and made love to her, for the first time, as her husband.

* * *

"Come in," a disgruntled sounding Captain Cragen said as he heard a rapping on his door.

Elliot pushed the door open and walked into the man's office in his uniform. "Sir," he said, a bit nervously, "I know you don't really know me, but I need your help."

"Stabler, right?" Cragen said, narrowing his eyes up at the uniformed cop in his office.

"Yes, Sir," Elliot said, taking off his hat.

"How can I help you, kid?" Cragen asked, rising from behind his desk. "You know what unit this is, right?"

Elliot nodded. "Yes, Sir. I, uh, have an abandoned kid, but he's kind of my responsibility now, and my wife and I would like to keep him."

Cragen's brow furrowed and he cleared his throat. "Run that by me again?"

"Well, uh, my friend Kathy came to visit, with her newborn son. She asked my wife and me to be his Godparents, then she took off. We found this yesterday," he said handing Cragen the letter Kathy left along with Jacob's birth certificate. "My wife and I are obviously not his parents. I know who his real mother and father are, but she clearly didn't want him."

"You have the baby?" Cragen asked.

Elliot nodded. "Yes, Sir. I know how these things work, but i'd rather not hand him over to child services. We've kind of grown attached to the little guy, and…"

"Okay," Cragen sighed, "Just so we're clear, you want me to help you find a way to find the parents, but also let you keep the baby?"

"Pretty much," Elliot said, shrugging.

Cragen scratched his head and pressed his lips together. "Well, uh, this looks like a pretty legit birth certificate, and your names are on it, so that must make you his parents, as far as the city and state are concerned. Anything else?"

Elliot laughed. "Permission to use the precinct's childcare service, even though I'm only a rookie, and I'd like you to tell me when you find his parents, or at least his mother, so she can give us a goddamn explanation. She's put us in a horrible situation, Sir."

"You got her name?" Cragen asked, returning behind his desk.

"Yes, Sir, it's Kathy Malone. Katherine. With a 'K,'" Elliot said. "Uh, Sir."

Cragen chuckled at the nervous behavior, remembering his own fear when he was just starting out. "And the father?"

"Dean Porter," Elliot said. "My wife, Olivia, can probably contact his uncle if we need to…"

"No, son," Cragen said, interrupting. "I'll track them down. And you can certainly use the services here. Rookie or not, Stabler, you're a cop. Go down and sign up, and why don't you bring in the wife and kid. I'd love to meet them." He smiled at Elliot and said, "By the way, have you given any thought to where you wanna go when writing parking tickets and answering nine-one-one calls just doesn't do it for ya anymore?"

Elliot tilted his head. "What do you mean, Sir."

"Your C.O. has given you incredible comments in your jacket, Stabler, and if you keep it up you'll be pulling rank in a few months. What unit do you want to transfer into? I'll make it happen," Cragen said.

"Oh," Elliot said, surprised. "Uh, this one, actually, Sir."

Cragen looked stunned. "Kid, this is a pretty tough unit," he said. "You think you got the chops for this shit?"

"My wife is the product of a rape, Sir," Elliot said, his eyes suddenly cold and powerful. "She was neglected and abused as a child, and I have to see the effects it all had on her every day. I need to stop it from happening to someone else, or at least put the bastards behind bars where they belong and get the justice that she and her mother never got."

"Well," Cragen said, smirking. "That is one hell of a reason, Stabler. You want it, you got it. I'll be expecting your paperwork."

Elliot nodded. "Thank you, Sir," he said with a smile. "For everything."

Cragen watched Elliot leave, then looked down at the falsified birth certificate in his hands. He read the names, and as his eyes focused on Olivia's last name, it became very clear who she was, who her mother was, and why this rookie cop and his family were now top priority. He picked up his phone and dialed a number, hoping what he wanted to do was both legal and possible.

* * *

"Liv," Elliot called into the apartment when he got home. "Honey?"

Olivia came out of the bedroom, holding Jacob, smiling at Elliot. "Hey, El," she said. "Did you talk to your captain?"

"He's not my captain, Liv," Elliot said, smiling and making faces at the baby. "But, yes, I did. He's gonna find Kathy and Dean, but we get to hold on to this little man since the names on the only birth certificate he has are ours." He lifted the boy up and took him into his own, gentle embrace, then leaned over and kissed Olivia. "How was your day?"

Olivia smirked. "A usual Sunday," she said. "Except I was taking care of a baby, I gave Alex a heart attack, and I got a call from the bank about my trust fund," she listed, waiting for something she said to register with him.

"Well, how was the baby? Why did Alex have a…trust fund?" Elliot asked, looking at her as he cradled Jacob.

"Jake was an angel, Alex came by and saw the ring on my finger and the baby and almost died, and everything cleared with the bank. As of today, all of the money that my mother told me I'd never get my hands on? I got my hands on," Olivia explained.

Elliot smirked at her. "I still think it's ridiculous that it took three months to process everything. That should have been your money the day you turned eighteen," he said. "You never told me how much you have, Liv. Not that I care. Obviously, I didn't marry you for your money."

Olivia laughed. "Obviously, because up until this morning, we thought it was gone. Almost eighteen years of ruining my life is worth a million bucks. Go figure"

Elliot's eyes widened, he almost fell backwards, and he choked on air. "A million…shit, baby, you weren't kidding when you said you came from money!"

"No, I wasn't," Olivia said, worried about that reaction, "But El, this doesn't change…"

"Baby," Elliot interrupted, "We can afford to take care of the baby! We can him everything he needs. We can get a new car, and move into a bigger place. You don't have to worry about scholarships or grants. We can have a real wedding, soon, with the dress and the tux, the hall and the limo. Honey, this changes a lot of things!"

Olivia chuckled. "That's not what I meant, but you're right."

"I knew you were a little rich girl when I met you, baby," Elliot said, realizing what she had meant. "I loved you then, and I loved you when I thought you were broke, and I'll love you when the money really is gone. You're it for me, baby."

"I know that, El," Olivia said, smiling at him. She brushed Jacob's cheek as the baby rested in Elliot's hold. "Ya know, you look really good with him. Like he belongs in your arms."

Elliot dropped a kiss to her forehead, then peered down at the squirming boy. "He does. You do, and he does, and the kids we really will have someday will. We're gonna do this, Liv."

"Yeah, we are," Olivia said. "Hi, Jake," she said, cooing at the baby. "Are you having fun with Daddy?"

"Daddy?" Elliot asked, his heart bursting. "I like the sound of that."

"Get used to it," Olivia said, a menacing gleam in her eyes. "He's definitely not gonna be an only child."

Elliot raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You're not…"

"No," Olivia said, smirking. "Not yet. But since we're married now, and we'll be buying a house with a lot of rooms, I probably will be soon, won't I?"

Elliot chuckled, shaking his head in amazement. "I love you, baby," Elliot said, smiling as he kissed her.

"I love you, too, you…do you smell that?" Olivia asked, sniffing.

"Oh, boy, kid," Elliot said, holding the baby up and away from him. "Time to go to Mommy!"

Olivia took Jacob from Elliot. "Oh, honestly! Every time he poops it's gonna be 'go to Mommy,' huh?" she asked with a laugh.

"Liv, I changed him this morning and he peed in my mouth! He's like a tiny, human fountain!" Elliot yelled.

Olivia laughed as she placed Jacob down on the couch. "El, baby," she said, smiling at the baby as she took off his onesie, "Welcome to parenthood."

"Liv, baby," Elliot parroted, walking over to her to help her, "It's gonna be the best time of our lives."

**A/N: Will they find Dean? What will he say about the baby? What happened to Kathy? Who did Cragen call? How will life with a baby affect Olivia and Elliot? Review, and I will let you know.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Life with a baby, when they're still babies themselves, is gonna be difficult. Olivia meets Angry Elliot when they find Dean. What does Kathy have to say for herself, if anything?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story.**

"Please, stop crying," Olivia said, to Jacob, cradling him as she paced back and forth in the bedroom. "Honey, you're gonna wake up Daddy, and he's gotta go to work."

"Daddy's already awake," Elliot said, smiling at her from the bed. "Honey, the second he started crying I woke up." He tilted his head and laughed when she finally got the baby to burp. "I love watching you with him," he told her, his blue eyes shining in the dark.

Olivia smiled at him, then looked down at the boy in her arms. "I'm sorry he woke you up," she said, gently rocking the calmed baby.

"Don't be," Elliot said, sitting up. "Come here, Liv. Both of you," he laughed.

"As if he had a choice," Olivia teased. "You wanna go see Daddy?" she asked Jacob, who was now looking at her blankly. She walked over to the bed, kneeled on it, and settled in against Elliot's embrace. "Say hi, Daddy," she said, moving her arms so she was holding the boy between them. She rested her head on Elliot's shoulder and breathed him in, sighing in relief. "You smell good," she whispered to him, placing a kiss to his bare arm.

Elliot chuckled, then ran the beck of his finger down the baby's cheek. "Hey, kid. You really got a raw deal, huh?" he asked, putting the baby to sleep with his caresses. "You got nothin' to worry about. Mom and I are gonna take care of you, and we're not gonna up an leave like mean, old Kathy did, so you can stop being so scared."

Seeming to listen to his words, Jacob gurgled and let out what almost sounded like a sigh of contentment as his little eyes closed. He was fast asleep.

Elliot turned to tell Olivia she could take him back to his crib, but he laughed when he found she was asleep, too. Elliot kissed her forehead, slowly got up, and walked the baby over to his crib, laying him down gently. "You're gonna have the kinda life your mother and I never did, kid. Two parents who love you, no matter what." He walked back to the bed and got back in, nestling close to Olivia to get some sleep before he had to report to work. He wasn't aware of the surprise that would be waiting for him when he got there.

* * *

"Excuse me?" Elliot asked, walking into the squadroom of the SVU in his station. "My C.O told me I was needed up here."

A grumpy-looking man looked up at him from a desk and asked, "Stabler?"

"Yes, Sir," Elliot replied, nodding.

"Cragen wants to see you. In his office," the man said.

"Thank you, Sir," Elliot said, walking toward the door.

"Don't call me 'Sir,' Kid," the man said, shaking his head. "Detective Munch is good. Or John. But not 'Sir."

Elliot laughed and nodded as he knocked on Cragen's door. He heard a gruff-sounding, "Come in," and walked into the office.

"Stabler," Cragen said, smiling, "Good to see ya, Kid. We found the boy's father. Porter's in the interrogation room now, and I thought you'd might like to ask him some questions of your own."

Elliot's eyes widened. "Sir, I really don't think putting me in a room with him is a good idea. I have a pretty bad temper," he said, shaking his head.

"That's kind of what I was hoping for," Cragen said with a smirk. "Go home, put on a suit, come back with your wife and son."

Elliot looked stunned. "You…you want them here?"

"I think Porter should meet his son, make him feel guilty," Cragen said. "And, uh, I'd like to meet your wife."

"All right," Elliot said, "But why do I have to put on a suit?"

"When was the last time you saw a detective in a uniform?" Cragen asked, smiling, as he winked at Elliot. "Think of this as a practice run, Stabler."

Elliot smirked and nodded as he left. He ran home and changed, then picked Olivia up from school. He told her what was going on, and drove as fast as he could back to the precinct. They stopped in the child-care center to get the baby, then Elliot led his wife upstairs to the Special Victims Unit.

Cragen's breath hitched when Olivia walked into the squadroom, and he stepped over to her slowly. "Olivia Benson," he said, almost a whisper.

"Well, yeah," Olivia said, cradling the baby. "It's Stabler now, though."

"Right," Cragen said, nodding. "Of course. Do you, uh, do you remember me?"

Olivia furrowed her brow and shook her head. "Should I?" she asked, looking toward Elliot. "I haven't met him, have I?"

Elliot shook his head. "No, baby," he said to her.

"Well, you were only a little girl the last time I saw you," Cragen said, smiling. "I don't expect you to remember me. I was just asking."

Olivia gave him a confused expression, and opened her mouth to say something, when the baby cried. "Oh, uh, is there a place I can change him?" she asked.

"Upstairs. First door to the left. Pick a bed," Cragen said, smiling.

"Thanks," Olivia said, holding Jacob in one arm as she grabbed the diaper bag with the other. She walked up the stairs, leaving Elliot and Cragen alone.

Elliot looked at Cragen, confused. "How do you know my wife?"

"When, uh, I first became a cop, I responded to the scene when her mom called, Elliot," Cragen said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "And then, as a detective, I was called into investigate a few abuse allegations, but we never had anything to hold Serena on. She kept giving us excuses, and Olivia was so scared she just went along with whatever her mother said."

"You knew, then," Elliot said with narrow eyes.

"I did," Cragen admitted. "I couldn't prove it, though, Elliot. No matter how hard I tried. No one ever saw Serena hit Olivia, and Olivia never told us what was really happening. I'm sorry."

Elliot nodded and licked his lips. "Yeah, okay," he said, moving passed it, for now. "Where's Proter?"

"Right though here," Cragen said, leading Elliot into the interrogation room.

* * *

Olivia came down the steps, with a dry, fed, happy Jacob, and looked around. "Um, sorry to bother you," she asked Detective Munch. "But could you tell me where Officer Stabler went?"

"Oh," the man said, looking up, "Yeah. Come with me." He got up and led her into the pit, where she was stunned to see Elliot, looking more angry than she'd ever seen him, holding Dean Porter up by his collar. She couldn't hear him, but she could tell he was yelling. And swearing. A lot.

"What's going on?" Olivia asked the detective, wide-eyed, as she watched through the two-way mirror.

"He's, uh, interrogating a suspect," Detective Munch said to her. "Maybe you shouldn't be in here for…"

The door to the interrogation room opened and Cragen stepped out, cutting Munch off. "Olivia," he said. "Would you come in here, please?" he asked, not bothering to ask why she was even there.

Olivia looked at him, then slowly followed him back into the room. Jacob was awake in her arms, wriggling around. He could feel the tension. She picked him up, held him out a bit, and rested him over her shoulder to calm him. "Hello," she said, looking at Dean with a terrible fierceness in her eyes.

"Olivia?" Dean asked, wrestling out of Elliot's grasp. "My God, you look beautiful."

"Thanks," Olivia said, gritting her teeth.

Dean took a step forward. "What are you doing here?"

Olivia furrowed her brow. "Well, uh, Kathy left the baby with…"

"Elliot," Dean said, "I know. He's been yelling at me for it for the past fifteen minutes. That doesn't explain you, though."

Olivia looked to Elliot, who was still fuming, and said, "Well, she left him with me, too, actually. Elliot and I…"

"She's my wife, Porter," Elliot interrupted. "You made a mistake, left Kathy all alone, and out of fear and anger, she left your son with me and my wife," he said, seething.

"Wife?" Dean asked, looking slightly offended. "You actually married him? And so that…" he paused, pointing to the baby.

"Yeah," Olivia said, sadly, unsure of what Dean was about to do.

"He's really, uh, cute," Dean said, in shock. "What's his name?" he asked, reaching out a hand to the baby boy.

Olivia looked down at the baby, then. "Jacob," she said with a smile. "Jacob Oliver Stabler."

Dean's eyes widened and he turned to Elliot and spat, "What?"

"Relax," Cragen said sternly. "He's your son, Porter, but Kathy falsified the birth records. According to the legal documents, Olivia and Elliot are his parents."

Dean slammed a hand down on the table. "Shit, ya know, not that I wanted the damn kid anyway, but that takes balls. She was always a good-for-nothing, little bitch," he barked. "Well, she was good for something," he added with a cocky smirk. "Not as good as I imagine you are, though, Olivia."

Elliot pulled him backward by the collar and twisted. "What did you just say?" he asked, gritting his teeth.

"Nothing," Dean said, fearfully. "Put me down? Please?"

Elliot twisted Dean's collar again, making a frightening growling noise.

"Stabler!" Cragen boomed, "Drop him!"

Elliot dropped Dean to the floor, then looked up at Cragen.

"Obviously, he didn't even know Kathy had the baby," Cragen said, shrugging. "He doesn't want the kid, either. I'll finish this. Go somewhere and cool off, Stabler." Elliot took a deep breath, cleared his throat, then led Olivia out through the metal door.

"What the hell was that?" Olivia asked, turning to face him once they were in the squadroom. "I don't remember you being that violent when you're angry!"

"I've never been that angry," Elliot said, pulling her close. "I just…seeing him, it brought back all those things he said to me over the summer, and to you, and what he did to Kathy. And then when he said...I lost it."

"Could you find it, please?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't like Angry Elliot."

Elliot chuckled. "Yeah, baby," he said. "I promise, I will only get pissed at people who deserve it. Like Kathy, if I ever see her again."

"Well, then, uh, maybe you shouldn't turn around," a whispered voice said from behind him.

Olivia and Elliot turned, looked up, and saw her. In the middle of the squadroom, next to three men in uniform, was Kathy.

**A/N: What is she gonna say? And the long awaited prom/graduation! Can these two lovers make it through this? Or will something unexpected tear them apart? Review! **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Kathy explained, the prom, graduation, and a snag in the plan. (OH! and PS: **_**Law & Order: Special Victims Unit**_** star, ****Christopher Meloni**** has set the record straight on his future with the show. And that means he's NOT leaving! Meloni explained**** all the confusion**** to ****Us****: "It's lies. All lies. No. What I said was 'When your contract is done…that will be the end. Because when your contract is done, it's usually the end. But when [producers] come back to me, you know, we can always talk.' I couched it incorrectly. It wasn't [the reporter's] fault. I had one year [left] on my contract. Our show hasn't been picked up. Those are the facts of the matter."**

**So, if the show gets picked up again, he will be on board. "Yeah. Why not?"**

**I know that this is a huge relief for a LOT of fans out there. (From the Backseat Cuddler)**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue, and plot of this story.**

"Okay, little boy," Olivia whispered, climbing out of the bed to attend to a crying Jacob.

"I got him, baby," Elliot said, groggily.

"El, you have to go to work soon," Olivia argued, getting up anyway.

Elliot turned to her as he reached the crib and said, "And you've got school, and we're going to the prom tomorrow night. We both need sleep, babe, but Jacob comes first now."

Olivia walked up behind him, as he lifted Jacob into his arms, and wrapped her arms around him. "I know, El. I still can't believe she had this all planned. She knew, when we got together, that she was gonna stick you with the baby and drag me along for the ride. If she never wanted the baby, why did she..."

"She's just as Catholic as I am, Liv," Elliot interrupted. "Abortion was not an option. I'm gonna get more answers out of her today. I need to know why she did this to us, and I'm not done yelling at her."

Olivia chuckled as she held him tighter, standing on her toes to look down and the calming boy in his arms. "She's damn lucky I ran out of that squadroom without saying anything to her. I inherited a pretty wicked temper from both of my parents."

Elliot turned to her. "You don't know if your father had a..."

"Rapist," Olivia interrupted.

Elliot laughed silently. "Right. Sorry."

"Yeah," Olivia sighed. "He was probably an angry, temperamental man."

"Probably, baby," Elliot chuckled. "Looks like all he needed was a little love, Liv. He's sound asleep."

"Well," Olivia said, whispering into Elliot's ear as he placed the baby back in his new, wooden crib, "He's not the only one who needs a little love." She raked her nails down his chest and kissed the back of his neck.

Elliot turned, suddenly, and raised his eyebrow at Olivia. "Is that right?" he asked, huskily, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yeah," Olivia whispered, inching closer to his lips. "It is."

"I love you," he told her as his lips finally crashed into hers. He led her quickly to the bed, pulling off her pajamas. He glanced at the clock, then down at Olivia. "Woman, you're gonna be the death of me," he grunted, slowly pushing into her.

Olivia gasped, digging her nails into his back. "Oh, God," she whispered.

"But what a way to go," he mumbled, kissing her and thrusting deeper. He moved slowly, deeply, deciding that slowly and passionately making love to his wife was more important than getting off quickly just so he could go back to sleep.

* * *

Kathy sat, anxiously, in the interrogation room, waiting for the ball to drop. She knew that Elliot would be in any minute, and she knew he'd be pissed off. Sure enough, the door opened and he walked in. Kathy gasped at the sight of him in his suit. He looked so handsome, so hot, so...married. "Where's your uniform?" Kathy asked.

"Detectives wear suits, Kathy," Elliot said, shutting the door. He cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck.

Kathy knew him well enough to know this meant he was incredibly pissed off. "Detective?"

"I got a promotion," Elliot barked. He folded his arms and leaned against the mirror.

"What's, uh, what's wrong?" Kathy asked. "Are you still upset about the baby? I thought that you liked Jacob?"

"I do, Kathy. I love him. Liv and I love him," Elliot said, through gritted teeth. "We both love that little boy. But we didn't want to be his parents! What the hell is your problem? You could have asked first! If you needed time to get your shit together, we would have watched him for you, but do you have any idea what you did? You practically forced us to get married, and now we have a kid, Kathy! Olivia's only eighteen! Did you even think about what she may have wanted? What if she didn't want to marry me, huh? What if she didn't want the baby? You could have broken us up!"

Kathy hung her head. There was no use in trying to deny the fact that that's exactly what she wanted. "Elliot, I..."

"Woah, hold on," Elliot broke in. "You pushed us to get married, then left us with the baby, hoping you'd piss her off enough to leave? Then what? You wanted me to come running to find you? You wanted me to help you raise him, is that it?"

Kathy's eyes, welling up with tears, rose top meet his. "Yes," she said. "And no." She took a breath and said, "That was the original plan, but when I came out here to find you, I didn't intend on suggesting you get married. I was just gonna leave him with you. And then when you came to me, I had planned doing what you did. Calling the cops, showing them the birth certificate, blaming her for abandoning her child."

"You were gonna have Olivia arrested for abandoning...when you knew that...what the fuck is wrong with you?" Elliot asked, yelling.

Kathy shook her head. "Wait, Elliot. I'm not finished. When I showed up, you did nothing but talk about her and tell me how she changed your life, made you a better person. When I saw how in love with her you were, and how in love with you she was, I knew she would never leave you no matter what I did, so I changed the plan. I gave you both Jacob, and left the certificate. She'd be a better mother than me, anyway. I'd never do anything to hurt you, Elliot. I couldn't hurt you."

"But you could hurt Liv," Elliot said, bitingly.

Kathy swallowed and wiped her eyes. "Before, I would have, in a heartbeat," she said. "But doing that would have hurt you, so not anymore."

"Fuck, Kathy," Elliot scoffed, "You don't think leaving her with a baby hurt her? She's got another week left of school, and then she's got four years of college, twelve weeks of the police academy...damn it, she can not be a mother right now!"

Kathy blinked. "You're Catholic, Elliot," she said. "Are you telling me you're using birth control now just so she can finish school? I didn't hurt her, Elliot. I just sped up what was bound to happen anyway."

"What?" Elliot spat harshly. "Kathy, that's completely different. We're taking enough precautions, okay? If anything did happen, it would be our problem, our responsibility. Jacob was yours! You just pawned him off. Who does that?"

Kathy rolled her eyes. "Me, I guess," she said, coldly. "If you don't want him..."

"I do," Elliot said, nodding. "We do," he clarified, ensuring Kathy knew that Olivia was in, too. "I got what I needed. I'm done talking to you." He moved to walk out of the room, but turned. "You know you don't have any rights, at all, to him, right? You know you gave up any claim on him."

"I know," Kathy said. "I know what I did, Elliot." She got out of her seat and stepped over to him. "And I know what I'm doing now. I've always wondered what this was like, what this would feel like," she said, grabbing him by the back of the neck and pulling him closer to her. She kissed him, as hard as she could.

Olivia, watching from the pit, gasped. She turned and walked out of the department doors, leaving Elliot's tux in its bag on the table.

"What the fuck, Kathy?" Elliot yelled, pushing her off of him. He wiped his mouth, vigorously, and said, "I'm adding a charge to your list. Assaulting an officer." He opened the door and stormed into the pit. He looked at Cragen, who looked pissed off and upset.

"Olivia saw that, Elliot. She brought your tux," Cragen said, pointing to the table. "You should go," he told Elliot.

Elliot's eyes widened. "Shit," he spat, grabbing the suit bag and running for the door.

* * *

"Liv!" Elliot yelled, running through the door. "Liv! baby, she kissed me and I'm fucking pressing charges! I didn't kiss her! I actually, really, want to forget it! Liv?"

Olivia slowly walked out of the bedroom, in her prom dress, her hair done and her makeup almost finished. "I'm here," she said, softly.

"Liv!" Elliot cried, running to her. He picked her up in arms and spun her around. "Baby, you ran before you saw me yell and almost punch her. You know I would never...I could never..."

"I know," Olivia said. "That's not why I ran."

Elliot looked confused. "Then why did you..."

"Because, El," she said, bringing her hand up to cup his face, "I heard you say that I couldn't be a mother right now, and if we did end up having a baby, it would be our problem, but you thought we were taking enough precautions."

"Oh, honey," Elliot said, sighing, "I didn't mean it like that. It wouldn't be a problem, Liv."

"No, El," Olivia said, chuckling. "You just made me realize that...I'm late."

Elliot looked around at the clock on the coffee table. "No, baby, the prom doesn't start until seven-thirty we have plenty of..." he paused, then turned back around to her. "Oh, my God, Liv! You mean _late_ late?"

Olivia nodded, then took his hand and led him into the bathroom. "El," she said, handing him a little white stick. "We need to find a house, fast, because there's no way in hell we're fitting two cribs in that bedroom."

"Liv," Elliot whispered, two small tears rolling down his left cheek, "I'm really gonna be a daddy."

"Yeah," Olivia said, nodding, wiping his tears and ignoring her own. "Are you okay with that?"

"Do I look okay to you?" Elliot asked, grinning like a baboon. "Liv, I'm better that okay! I'm fucking ecstatic!" He pulled her into a tight hug, spun her around again, and kissed her, deeply. "Wow," he said, softly. "This isn't gonna change anything. You do not have to change your plans, baby. We can do this," he told her.

"I know we can," Olivia said, wiping her own eyes. "Get dressed, El. We have to make all of my friends, and some of my enemies, incredibly jealous. After all, you are a professional dancer," she said, kissing him.

"And every guy in the place will be just as jealous because you're the most beautiful woman in the world, baby," he said, planting another kiss on her lips. "And you're mine."

Olivia laughed. "I am," she said, bringing his hands from her face to her belly, "And so is this baby."

* * *

They walked into the prom, stepped out onto the dance floor, and heads instantly turned. He was definitely older, better looking, and had better moves than any other boy there. She was elegant, classy, and by looking it was obvious she was so in love with Elliot that every girl was jealous of her. Every guy was, as he suspected, jealous of him, too, for being with her and for commanding the attention of every one of their dates.

"Everyone's staring at us," Olivia whispered to Elliot as he spun her around gracefully.

Elliot chuckled. "Is that a problem?" he asked, pulling her back toward him, leading her into a Maranga.

"Not at all," Olivia laughed, following his lead. "Aren't you proud? I didn't put my heels down, I'm keeping my eyes focused on yours, and my arms are locked."

Elliot laughed and tugged on her hands, pulling her close. "I'm proud of everything you do, Liv." he grabbed her right hand and gave her a slight push, twirling her out, then pulled her back in, continuing their perfect ballroom dance.

When the song ended, they realized the floor was empty, except for them, and everyone was clapping. Elliot, used to this, pulled Olivia into his arms and made her bow with him. She looked up at him and laughed as she kissed him, having the time of her life.

Dinner was fun, though inedible, as Olivia, Elliot, and Alex chatted and played Hockey with the steak. They danced, to every song, outshining every other couple. In the middle of a slow dance, though, Olivia's head popped up off of Elliot's shoulder. "El," she said, softly. "Honey, look," she said, stopping, and turning his attention toward the door.

"Is that Fin?" Elliot asked, furrowing his brow.

"Yeah," Olivia said, smiling. They walked over to him, and he wrapped his arms around Olivia. "Fin!" she cried. "You're a cop?"

Fin hugged back. "Yeah, Baby-Girl," he said with a content smile. "I don't work with Elliot, though. I wish I was here for a better reason." He looked at Elliot and said, "Man, uh, it's your father."

"My...what?" Elliot said, squeezing Olivia's hand tighter. "What about him?"

"You need to come with me," Fin said, sadly. "Both of you."

**A/N: What happened? Will it cause problems or bring them closer together? And how does a baby that's all their own affect them? **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Family tragedy strikes, and Olivia might be the only glue holding Elliot together.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and characters. TStabler© owns the story and its contents.**

Elliot sat in his parents living room, still wearing his tux, surrounded by his family and several cops. A few of them came up to him, offering their condolences, going so far as to take off their caps if they were wearing them. He had Olivia in his arms, she was clutching him tightly, still wearing her dress. He couldn't bring himself to cry.

"El," Olivia whispered to him, "You don't have to..."

"I'm not being strong, or hiding my feelings," he told her, knowing what she was thinking. "I just didn't really ever get close to him, Liv. He used me like his own personal punching bag, which is why I joined the Marines as soon as I could. I needed to get away from, and that was my only logical option."

Olivia said nothing, only held him tighter. "He was my father," he whispered. "My father just...and I can't...I don't feel anything, Liv."

"Detective Stabler," a young uniformed officer said, striding up to him, "Your mother, uh, well, um...she's dancing, sir."

Elliot grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her toward the couch. "Yeah, Swanson," Elliot said, his eyes closing in defeat, "I know." He sat next to his mother, pulled Olivia down on his lap, and said, "Mom, you gotta stop now, okay?"

His mother, Bernie, looked down at him, lowered her arms, and narrowed her eyes. "Elliot, your father would have wanted us to dance. Celebrate his life, not mourn his death. Besides," she said, suddenly sounding bitter, "He wanted to die. I'm not going to cry if this is what the son of a bitch wanted."

"Mom," Elliot sighed, "Please, don't do this."

"He did this, Elliot," Bernie said. "He left us. He chose to..." she paused, breaking down into her son's arms. "He's gone, Elliot. He's gone," she sobbed, wrapping one arm around Elliot, the other around Olivia, and squeezing as she cried.

Elliot's two sisters sobbed quietly, watching their mother cry as their brother didn't shed a single tear.

"Who the fuck are you?" a harsh voice spat, the man glaring at Olivia.

Elliot turned to see his brother, Andrew, red-eyed, angry, and sneering at the woman sitting on his lap. "Andy, man," he began, but his brother stopped him.

"Who the hell is she, Elliot? Why the fuck did you bring her here?" Andrew barked, his voice rising. "There shouldn't be anyone but family here!"

"Andy," Elliot snapped, "She's my wife, man!"

"Wife?" Andrew asked, shocked. "When the fuck did you get married? She's like, twelve!"

"It was a spur of the moment thing, man," Elliot said, sighing, dropping his head to Olivia's. "And she's eighteen, Andy."

Andrew stepped forward, eyed Olivia up and down, and said, "She's the bitch from that stupid dancing job you had, isn't she? The one you kept crying about when you were in cop school."

"Woah, man!" Elliot barked, nudging Olivia off him to rise out of the seat. "Watch how you talk about her!"

"Hey!" Olivia spat, holding up the baby monitor. "Sleeping child! Keep it under a hundred decibles, would ya?"

"Fucking hell, you knocked her up," Andrew maligned.

Elliot gritted his teeth, swallowed back the urge to hit his brother, and said, "We have an adopted son and, yes, we're expecting a baby of our own."

Bernie smiled, resting a hand on Olivia's knee. "Isn't that wonderful, Andy? In the midst of all of this sad death, there is new love and life."

Andrew looked at his mother, blankly. "You knew about this?"

"Yes," Bernie said. "You know Elliot could never marry a woman I didn't like."

Andrew scoffed. "Yeah," he spat. "Fuckin' momma's boy. Did you marry her because you knocked her up, or because you wanted to get in her pants?"

"Andy!" Elliot yelled. "No, man! I married her because I love her you asshole!"

"Oh, I'm the asshole?" Andrew laughed. "You're the one who fucking abandoned the entire damned family to play ninja with the damned Army just because you couldn't handle a little rough, tough love from Dad."

"Tough love? He almost killed me, Andy!" Elliot yelled, the tears finally coming. "I didn't abandon my family! I joined the Marines, not the Army, to do something, make something of myself hoping, praying that he'd be proud of me! I came back and he still fucking hated me! God damn it, Andy, he was my father! He should have protected me! He should have loved me," he shouted, the tears falling. "I'm not not gonna miss him, Andy. I'm sorry, but I'm not. But I am gonna be sorry, for the rest of my life, that he wasn't the kind of father I deserved. He was not the kind of father I'm gonna be to the baby my wife is carrying, right now!"

Andy blinked, his lower lip trembling. Suddenly, he rushed at his brother, pulling him into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Elliot. I don't know why I...I don't know how to deal with this. I actually loved the son of a bitch. I didn't mean to...God, he was my father. I loved him."

"I know you did, Andy," Elliot said, slapping him on the back, comforting him the way only a brother could.

Andy took a deep breath, pulled away from Elliot, and looked at Olivia. "She's quiet," he said.

"She's uncomfortable," Olivia said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm Olivia. Your sister-in-law."

"Andy," Andrew said, sniffling. "Sorry we had to meet like this. I'm sorry for that, uh, outburst and I'm sorry you never got to meet our father. He was a good guy."

Olivia snorted. "To you," she said. "He wasn't too good to Elliot, was he? Meaning, he wouldn't have liked me very much then. I make Elliot happy, therefore he would have considered me evil."

"Wow, Elliot. Beauty and brains," Andrew said. "You know how to pick 'em."

"I just got lucky," Elliot said. "Very lucky." He was about to say something else when the tiny cry of Jacob sounded through the monitor in Olivia's hands.

"I'll go," Elliot and Olivia said at the same time, both eager to get out of the cramped, crowded, tense living room. They looked at each other and nodded, climbing the stairs to the bedroom where they'd set up the crib.

Elliot reached the portable bed first, scooping the boy into his arms, and walked him over to the bed, laying him down to change him. "Liv," he said, softly, "You know Andy didn't mean..."

"El, please, don't. You just lost your father. So did he. Neither one of you can be held responsible for what comes out of your mouths," Olivia said, putting a dry diaper on the baby.

"No one talks to you, or about you, like that," Elliot said, looking at her with a fire in his eyes she'd only seen once before, when he was yelling at Dean.

Olivia picked the baby up, as he'd already drifted back to sleep, resting him over her shoulder as she walked back toward the crib. She placed him down into it and turned to face Elliot, stepping closer into his open arms. "You can cry, El. It's okay to admit that, despite what he did to you, you loved him. I have to live the with the fact that a part of me still loves my evil bitch of a mother, don't I? It's okay to be mad at him for giving up the way he did, and it's okay to cry in front of me. I'm not gonna think any less of you." She paused, smirked at him, and looped her arms around his waist. "In fact, I'll think less of you if you don't, you cold-hearted monser." She kissed him quickly, letting him know she was only teasing him.

Elliot let out a strangled laugh, it was getting caught on his sob, and he wrapped his arms around his wife as he let twenty-two years of unexpressed emotion toward his father pour out of him. They clutched onto each other, for dear life it seemed, and collapsed onto the bed. He would be breaking, falling apart at the seams, if she hadn't been there, crying with him.

Crying?

"Liv," he sniffled, pulling away slightly, looking into her moist eyes, "Baby, why are you crying? You didn't even know him."

"I'm crying because you're crying," she told him, the barest crackle in her voice. "When you hurt, I hurt. Not to mention, I'm pregnant, so a tender moment on _Family Guy _makes my fucking cry."

Elliot chuckled through his tears, loving the way she knew how to say the right things, at the right times. Her presence alone was making this easier. "I'm sorry my father killed himself during your prom," he said. "He always did have a habit of ruining the most important moments of my life."

"He didn't ruin it, El," Olivia said, thumbing away his tears. "In a way, he made tonight truly special. He's not suffering anymore. He brought your family back together, baby. It was a horrible way to reconnect, but I met your sisters, who really like me, and your brother, who apparently thinks I'm smart and pretty. Oh, and we found Fin, or he found us," she said with a sad smile. "Tragic as your father's death is, it's breathing new life into your family, El."

Elliot smiled at Olivia, amazed at how truly remarkable she was. "Our family, baby," he said, brushing his thumb over her lips. He kissed her tenderly and said it again, making sure she understood that she wasn't alone anymore. "It's our family."

**A/N: Next, Olivia graduates, and her new family gives her a surprise. Elliot, however, gives her a bigger one! Then, a summer they'll never forget, when Elliot takes her back to where it all started.**


End file.
